Humaira Batool, a 26-year-old from Bradford, was found guilty on Wednesday of causing death by dangerous driving after a rented Lamborghini Urus struck a barrier on the M62 motorway and caught fire, killing her 20-year-old friend Mohammed Shaan Hussain. The vehicle was travelling at grossly excessive speeds in wet conditions when the collision occurred in the early hours of 21 December 2022 near Ripponden, West Yorkshire. Batool will be sentenced on 2 November.
During the trial at Leeds Crown Court, prosecutors presented evidence that the supercar reached speeds of up to 143mph on the motorway. According to earlier reporting, the vehicle was driven at these excessive speeds despite wet road conditions. The crash resulted in a significant explosion that prevented witnesses from reaching the occupants immediately, and Hussain became trapped in the wreckage.
How did the crash occur?
Hussain, also from Bradford, had rented the Lamborghini and initially planned to use it to collect a friend from HMP Leeds. Prosecutor Christopher Dunn explained to jurors that Hussain collected Batool from her home at approximately 04:00 BST. CCTV footage presented at trial showed that although Batool initially travelled in the passenger seat, she exited the vehicle at traffic lights and took the driver's seat, switching places with Hussain.
Batool told the court she had "panicked" and moved to the driver's position after Hussain insisted she take control of the vehicle because he was unable to drive. However, the prosecution argued this account was false. Jurors heard the car was travelling at approximately 120mph as it passed the "house in the middle of the motorway" landmark on the M62. Within eight seconds, the vehicle had left the carriageway, struck a barrier, and overturned to a complete stop.
What was Batool's defence?
Batool denied ever intending to drive at such excessive speeds. She claimed that Hussain had "reached over" and touched something that caused the car to "just surge" forward unexpectedly. She stated she was "not watching" the speedometer as she was focused on the road, but she could "feel the speed increasing." A representative of Lamborghini testified that there was no feature on the vehicle that would cause such a speed increase other than the driver pressing the accelerator pedal with their "right foot."
Under cross-examination, prosecutor Dunn accused Batool of lying to "avoid the consequences of [her] guilty actions." The jury rejected her account and found her guilty of the charge.
What injuries resulted from the crash?
Witnesses who had been overtaken by the Lamborghini stopped to help and heard a woman shouting for assistance. However, attempts to reach the occupants were thwarted by intense flames before a "very significant explosion" occurred. Batool was later discovered by a second group of witnesses on a grass verge near the motorway, while Hussain remained trapped in the wreckage and died at the scene.
The prosecutor told the court that Batool claimed the flames had melted the seatbelt, allowing her to escape the vehicle. She sustained serious injuries, including burns to approximately 10% of her body and a fractured tibia. According to court records, she was later charged and tried for causing Hussain's death through dangerous driving.
What is the broader context?
This conviction is part of a pattern of serious motorway incidents involving dangerous driving. A 37-year-old man was previously convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after racing another vehicle moments before it fatally struck a mother and four-year-old daughter in Leeds on 16 January 2023. Additionally, a Cardiff driver admitted causing the death of one passenger and serious injury to two others in a Mercedes crash on the M4 near Heathrow Airport on 29 October 2023.
What happens next?
Batool is scheduled to be sentenced on 2 November. The sentencing hearing will determine the length of her custodial sentence for the conviction of causing death by dangerous driving. The case has drawn attention to the dangers of excessive speed on motorways, particularly in adverse weather conditions, and the serious legal consequences that follow fatal collisions caused by reckless driving.
Key Facts
- Humaira Batool was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving on Wednesday at Leeds Crown Court
- The rented Lamborghini Urus reached speeds of up to 143mph in wet conditions before striking a barrier on the M62 on 21 December 2022
- Her passenger, 20-year-old Mohammed Shaan Hussain, died in the crash and subsequent explosion
- Batool claimed the vehicle surged unexpectedly, but Lamborghini representatives confirmed only driver input could cause such acceleration
- Sentencing is scheduled for 2 November
