TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari wins appeal reducing life sentence in double murder car chase case

UK influencer Mahek Bukhari’s prison term cut after judges ruled her life sentence for fatal car chase excessive

A British TikTok influencer convicted of murdering her mother’s lover and his friend during a high-speed chase has had her prison sentence reduced after judges ruled it was “manifestly excessive.”

According to a Court of Appeal Approved Judgment reviewed by PEOPLE, 25-year-old Mahek Bukhari and her mother, Ansreen Bukhari, were convicted in 2023 for their roles in the February 2022 deaths of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21. Prosecutors said the pair, along with others, chased the two men in two cars after Hussain threatened to release explicit material of Ansreen Bukhari to her husband.

During the chase on the A46 highway in Leicestershire, the victims’ car was rammed off the road and burst into flames, killing them instantly. In a 999 call before the crash, Hussain pleaded for help, telling police, “They’re trying to ram us off the road… please, I’m begging you, I’m gonna die.”

Mahek Bukhari — who was 22 at the time — was sentenced in September 2023 to life in prison with a minimum of 31 years and eight months. Her mother received a minimum term of 26 years and nine months.

However, on Oct. 24, 2025, Lord Justice Warby and two other appeal judges ruled that Mahek’s sentence was too harsh, reducing her minimum term to 26 years and 285 days. “The judge did not make enough allowance for the fact that this appellant was an immature 22-year-old at the time of these offenses,” Warby said, as reported by the BBC.

The case centered on a failed affair between Ansreen Bukhari and Hussain. When she attempted to end the relationship, Hussain allegedly demanded repayment of £3,000 and threatened to expose explicit images of her. The court heard that Mahek, angered by the threats, sent a message weeks before the fatal crash stating she would “get him jumped by guys.”

On the night of the incident, Hussain and Ijazuddin were “lured” to a meeting in Leicester under the pretense of retrieving the money. Prosecutors said they were instead ambushed by Mahek, her mother, and several accomplices in two cars — an Audi TT and a Seat Leon.

Investigators found evidence suggesting that when the victims realized they had been set up, they tried to flee, prompting a high-speed pursuit that ended in tragedy.

Four defendants, including Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari, were convicted of murder. Three others were found guilty of manslaughter, while one was acquitted.

The case — which drew widespread media attention due to Mahek’s influencer status — has continued to spark debate in the UK over the role of social media and youth immaturity in serious crime.