A young woman previously known as a popular figure on TikTok saw a reduction in her prison sentence after her involvement in a tragic high-speed collision resulting in the deaths of her mother’s partner and his friend. Mahek Bukhari, aged 22 during the incident, was initially sentenced to a minimum of 31 years and eight months in September 2023 for two counts of murder following the deliberate crash in February 2022. However, her jail term was recently shortened to 26 years and 285 days by appeal judges who acknowledged her youth at the time of the crime.
Mahek, residing in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, collaborated with her mother, Ansreen Bukhari, then 45, after being threatened by Saqib Hussain, 21, who intended to expose his affair with Ansreen using explicit material. Ansreen received a 27-year prison sentence in 2023, which remains unchanged.
In a statement summarizing the decision, Lord Justice Warby emphasized that insufficient consideration was given to Mahek’s age, describing her as an immature 22-year-old during the offenses. The court also deemed the manslaughter sentences imposed on Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal, and Sanaf Gulamustafa as excessive, reducing each by two years due to their perceived minor roles in the incident.
Lord Justice Warby further criticized the initial sentencing, stating that the severity of the punishments was unwarranted and should have been significantly lighter for all involved. The trial in 2023 resulted in life imprisonment for Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal, with respective minimum terms of 26 years and 10 months and 31 years, for their involvement in the fatal crash, which prosecutors described as a case of love, obsession, extortion, and premeditated murder.
The affair between Saqib and Ansreen, which initially began casually but escalated as Saqib professed his love for Ansreen, led to blackmail attempts when Saqib threatened to reveal their relationship. The tragic events unfolded when Hashim and Saqib met Mahek and Ansreen in Leicester, anticipating blackmail payment but falling victim to a planned attack orchestrated by Mahek and her mother. The resulting collision claimed the lives of both men, with the car bursting into flames upon impact.
Mahek and Ansreen were swiftly apprehended at their residence following the crash. During initial police interviews, Mahek attempted to shift blame onto Saqib, portraying him as a dangerous individual. Saqib’s desperate pleas for help before the crash, as captured in a recorded call to emergency services, highlighted the severity of the situation.
After a lengthy trial, the jury found four defendants guilty of murder and the remaining three guilty of manslaughter. Mahek, previously a social media influencer with a substantial following, faced the consequences of her actions alongside her co-conspirators.
