Four people found guilty of murdering two Banbury men after ramming their car off the road in high-speed chase

Four people accused of killing two men from Banbury during a high-speed car chase after ambushing them have been found guilty of murder.

Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin died when their car left the A46 dual carriageway near Leicester on February 11 2022, with prosecutors saying during a three-month trial at Leicester Crown Court that they were deliberately rammed off the road.

Jurors deliberated for more than 28 hours before returning a verdict finding YouTube and TikTok content creator Mahek Bukhari and her mother Ansreen Bukhari guilty of two counts of murder.

Fellow defendants Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal were also found guilty of two counts of murder - while Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal and Sanaf Gulamustafa were all found not guilty of murder, but guilty of two counts of manslaughter.

They will be sentenced on September 1.

Mohammed Patel was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

The victims, both 21 and from Banbury, were in a Skoda chased by Audi and Seat vehicles containing the eight defendants.

The court was told Mr Ijazuddin's Skoda Fabia "split in two" and caught fire after hitting a tree at the Six Hills junction in the early hours of February 11 last year.

Mahek Bukhari, 24, was said to have taken part in the ambush after Mr Hussain threatened to use sexually explicit material to expose a long-running affair he had with her 46-year-old mother Ansreen.

Prosecutors said Mr Hussain was "lured" into meeting with the Bukharis on the pretence of giving him back the £3,000 he said he had spent on taking his lover out during their tryst.

Instead, Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin, who had driven his friend to Leicester for the meeting as a "favour", were ambushed and then chased before the fatal crash.

In a 999 call to police made by front-seat passenger Mr Hussain moments before his death, he said their car was being "rammed off the road" by balaclava-wearing assailants in two pursuing cars.

Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Inspector Mark Parish said: “This was a callous and cold-blooded attack which ultimately cost two men their lives.

“After setting Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin up, chasing them at high speed and then ultimately ramming their car off the road, none of the defendants made any attempt to help the victims or to call for help. Instead they drove on and then even drove back past the collision site. Still no-one attempted to offer any help.

“As the defendants found guilty were arrested, charged and stood trial before a court, lies were continually told in order to try and cover their tracks. Their only concern during the whole incident and investigation has been for themselves.

“My thoughts at this time remain with Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin and their families. The past 16 months has been an extremely difficult and heart-breaking time for both families. My heartfelt thanks go to them for their bravery, support and co-operation throughout this time."

Following today's verdicts, the family of Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin have paid the following tribute: "The day we found out Hashim had died, our world came crashing down. His death has changed everything.

"Everyone who knew Hashim, loved him. His death is not just a massive loss to our family but also to our whole community.

"Hashim was a cheeky young man who was always smiling, a handsome man who was beautiful both on the inside and out. He would do anything for anyone, was very caring and had a very kind heart.

"Hashim would always put others first and wouldn’t hesitate to help others if they needed it. On that tragic day, he was simply helping his friend and this resulted in his death.

"It has been extremely painful not only losing Hashim at such a young age but also in the circumstances in which we lost him.

"We will always be extremely proud of Hashim. Whatever he would have done in life, we know he would have excelled in it. Hashim was and will always be our superstar and our one-in-a-million.

"The family would like to thank the police, the CPS and the prosecuting counsel and everyone else who supported and prayed for Hashim and for us."

The family of Saqib Hussain have paid the following tribute: “Saqib was a much-loved young man. He was kind, compassionate, caring and sensible. My family has been shattered by this senseless act and we are still struggling to come to terms with the enormity of our loss. I do not feel that we have received justice as we have now got a life sentence.

“We are grateful that the courts saw through all the lies attributed to my son Saqib. Thank God the jury saw through it and gave the verdicts our children deserve.

“Saqib’s death has brought so much sadness, not just to his family, but to the many people that knew him. I would like to thank those that have, and continue to provide overwhelming support to our family. A special thank you must also go to the police and CPS, our Family Liaison Officers, our victim support officer, our local schools and the local mosque.

“I never imagined that I would have to bury one of my children; that I would spend every waking moment suddenly expecting him to come back and tell me everything is ok; endlessly searching for his face whenever I am in public even though I know it is impossible.

“This grief of losing Saqib has further been compounded by having to relive the horror of my son’s death over and over again in court. My family and I would like to thank Leicestershire Police greatly for their diligence, thoroughness and painstaking hard work in ensuring that those responsible for Saqib’s death did not evade justice.

“We have hope and confidence that Saqib has found eternal rest with Our Lord, and that we will get to be with him again when we pass. We also pray that no family will have to go through our experience.”