Humaira Batoolwas found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after CCTV showed her swapping seats before the Lamborghini crashed on the M62 near Ripponden, killing her friend
A driver who was convicted of causing the death of her friend in a 143mph Lamborghini crash skipped her sentencing hearing. Humaira Batool is now being hunted by the authorities as she was accused of “avoiding justice”.
She was facing a jail term at Leeds Crown Court today after being convicted of causing the death of Mohammed Shaan Hussain, 20, by dangerous driving. Batool, 26, had been racing the rented £220,000 Urus supercar with Hussain in wet conditions on December 21, 2022.
Throughout her trial, the court was told that Mr Hussain, from Bradford, had rented the supercar to pick up a friend from Leeds prison. Batool insisted she had been asleep in the passenger seat when the vehicle smashed through a barrier on the M62 near Ripponden, West Yorkshire. The motor flipped over and erupted into flames with Mr Hussain stuck inside as passing drivers frantically tried to save him.
However, CCTV footage had caught the duo switching seats at traffic lights moments before the deadly crash, proving Batool had been behind the wheel. When challenged with the footage, she confessed to driving but insisted Mr Hussain had been messing with the controls inside the Lamborghini, making it repeatedly “surge” in speed.
A Lamborghini specialist informed the court there was no mechanism that would make the car’s speed jump in that manner, apart from a driver’s “right foot”.
Batool, from Bradford, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in September. She was scheduled to face sentencing today but didn’t turn up, alleging a flare-up of endometriosis led to her visiting A&E in the early hours of the morning.
However Judge Ray Singh stated he suspected she was exploiting this as a ploy to dodge her sentence and issued a warrant for her arrest.
“The night before she is due to be sentenced in connection with this matter a call is made to the emergency services, who attend and advise her to go to A&E,” he said. “They felt this was not life threatening and, indeed, did not feel it was necessary to rush her in an ambulance.
“I’m told that is where she is at the moment, and it may well be the case. I’m afraid I do come to the conclusion, despite all that has been said to me, that this is a case where she is avoiding being dealt with, by way of sentence. Accordingly, I do issue a warrant for her arrest to be brought back before myself at the very earliest opportunity.”
Prosecutor Christopher Dunn branded her illness a “ruse”, and said: “The defendant has lied from first to last and has attempted, on a number of occasions, to thwart the proceedings. It is entirely clear that she is trying to avoid justice.”