GUILTY UK - Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, and Saqib Hussain, 20, car crash A46 Leicester 11 Feb 2022 *Murder Arrests*

[RusselSprout]

Sanaf Gulammustafa will be the next to give evidence​

The jury is back in court and the next defendant to be sworn is Sanaf Gulammustafa. He was a passenger in the Seat Leon when the fatal crash happened on the A46. He will first be questioned by his own barrister, Balraj Bhatia.

Sanaf Gulammustafa is a convicted drug dealer​

Mr Bhatia asks Gulammustafa about his age and family and goes on to ask about a drug conviction. He was caught with cannabis with intent to supply back in 2018.
He told the jury his dad had been diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and in February this year it was "stage four" and Gulammustafa helped his mother caring for his father, he said.
He said: "He needed help with going toilet, eating, showering and stuff."

'It was very emotional. Very stressful'​

His father died on March 15, the day before Gulammustafa was arrested. Gulammustafa told the jury that at the time of the fatal crash he was in an "on-and-off" relationship with a woman.
He said: "It was quite serious and it just never quite worked out."
He was asked about his emotional state in the early part of this year with his father's ill health and his relationship problems. He replied: "It was very emotional. Very stressful."
He said he rarely went out at that time and would spend his time between his chef job at Tim Horton's and looking after his father.

Relationships with co-defendants​

Gulammustafa said he worked at Tesco during the pandemic - from 2017 until 2020 - and would always carry a Covid face mask.
Next he was asked about the others in the dock. Gulammustafa said he had known Raees Jamal since nursery school. They saw each other socially about twice a week.
He said he knew Ammeer Jamal through his cousin Raees adn knew him well but added: "He was really a friend through Raees." He said he didn't have Ammeer's phone number.

The other men​

Gulammustafa said he knew Rekan Karwan through Raees Jamal as well. They would spend time together about once or twice a month but always with Raees.
He was asked about Mohammed Patel and said: "I don't really know him." He was asked if he had met Patel before February 10 and he said: "I'm not too sure."

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

The female defendants​

Gulammustafa said he had never heard of Mahek Bukhari and had "no idea" she was an influencer on TikTok or other social media. Mr Bhatia asked: "You didn't even know of her existence?" and he replied that was right.
He said he also did not know of Mahek's mother, Ansreen.
He said he had met Natasha Akhtar "a couple of days before" the fatal crash when he was in her Seat Leon on the aborted trip to Skegness, that has been mentioned previously. He said: "I met her through Raees. Raees rang me and said do you want to go Skegness and I said yes. I wanted to get some things off my head - stress and that. My dad, my girlfriend."

No drinking because of Muslim religion​

Gulammustafa said he and Raees and Ammeer Jamal would go out to smoke shisha because they did not drink because of their religion. He said: "We normally go shisha, just go chill. We can just talk about life, everyone gets to know each other better."

The trip to Skegness​

On February 8 there was a trip to Skegness. Gulammustafa went with Raees and Ameer Jamal and Natasha Akhtar, who owned the Seat Leon.
He said he was in the back of the car with Ammeer, while Raees Jamal was driving and Akhtar was in the front passenger seat.
He said: "It weren't very comfortable. I couldn't stretch my legs."
He said they were going to Skegness to see the sunrise but they were called back to Leicester because Rekan Karwan was "upset" he hadn't been invited.
They turned around and headed back to Leicester.

Police stopped the car​

The group was stopped by the police on their way back because Raees Jamal was speeding. He said that after that they went back to Leicester and met Rekan at a shisha bar.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

The night of the crash​

On the evening of Thursday, February 10, Gulammustafa was told by his ex-girlfriend that she was going to Tubo - a shisha bar on Belgrave Circle. He wanted to see her, he told the jury. "I just wanted to clear some things up," he said.
He said he told Raees Jamal about Tubo and he agreed to go along, too. He said: "We were just going to chill, smoke shisha, play Monopoly."
He was asked if it was unusual to play board games in shisha bars and he replied: "No. People do that." He said he took his own Monopoly board along to Tubo.

Picked up by Seat Leon​

He said Raees Jamal and Natasha Akhtar arrived in the Seat Leon to pick him up between 7pm and 8pm and took him to Tubo, where a band was playing. He said: "It was quite loud."

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Stop in Catherine Street​

Gulammustafa said Raees stopped at his grandmother's house in Catherine Street on their way to Tubo. He said: "Raees mentioned something about a funeral. I stayed in the car a few minutes and I started getting thirsty so I went to the closest shop."
He said he put the Monopoly board in the car boot. After the detour they went on to Tubo. He played Monopoly with Natasha Akhtar and Raees and Ammeer Jamal. His ex-girlfriend was also there and he spent some time with her, he said.

Rekan Karwan at Tubo​

Gulammustafa said Rekan Karwan arrived some time around 10 to 10.30pm and spoke to Raees Jamal. Gulammustafa said Karwan only stayed for 10 to 15 minutes and then left and that he did not hear any of the conversation he was having with Raees Jamal.

Cannabis in the car park​

He said the group left Tubo at about midnight and went to the car park where he put the Monopoly board in the boot of the Seat Leon.
He and Ammeer Jamal were then in the car park smoking "about a gram" of cannabis for about 20 minutes.

How high?​

He was asked: "How aware of your immediate surroundings are you when you're quite high." He replied: "Not very."
Mr Bhatia asked: "Is it a happy place?" and he replied yes. He was asked what would happen next and he said he had to wait "for the smoke to go" so he could go back home.
He was asked: "Was there any discussion in the Seat as to where that car was going?" He said: "No. Just going with the flow. We normally just drive around anywhere."

Tomlin Road​

The Seat Leon went to Tomlin Road, where Rekan Karwan lived, but Gulammustafa said there was no explanation why the car was there and no one asked. He was asked about his mental state and he said: "I was even more higher than I was." He said the affect of cannabis lasted two or three hours or more. He was asked: "Sitting in the back of the car, were you concerned about anything?" He said no.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

No mention of Mahek's Audi TT​

He spoke more about what happened in Tomlin Road. He said they arrived arrived, then the Audi TT arrived about 15 to 20 minutes later and pulled up behind the Seat Leon, and at that point Raees Jamal got out of the Seat Leon.
He said that no mention was made by anyone in the car about the Audi TT after it arrived. He said he was facing in the opposite direction and wasn't aware who was in the Audi. Mr Bhatia asked: "Were you in the least bit interested who was in the Audi?" He said no.

Mohammed Patel arrived 'but said nothing'​

Gulammustafa said that at one point Mohammed Patel arrived in Tomlin Road and walked straight past the Seat Leon Gulammustafa was sitting in the back of and went to the Audi TT. Patel did not speak to him, he said.
He said Raees Jamal and Rekan Karwan were together by the Audi TT at that point. He added that the doors and windows of the Seat were all shut and the windows were tinted.

Toilet trip​

Gulammustafa said Raees Jamal got back in the Seat and drove off because Ammeer Jamal asked Raees Jamal to take him home. He said: "He wanted to do a number two?" Mr Bhatia asked: "And how did you react that?" Gulammustafa said: "I started laughing."
He said there were no further plans for what they were going to do after taking Ammeer home.

Gulammustafa 'wanted to go home'​

Gulammustafa said that as they were driving he told Raees Jamal he wanted to go home and Raees replied: "Yeah, yeah, yeah". But he said Raees drove to Tesco instead. He said he asked Raees where they were going. He said: "I asked because I wanted to go home. He said it would be a couple of minutes."
He said he did not want to go to Tesco. He said they stopped at Tesco and parked up. The Audi TT parked next to them but he said he knew Rekan Karwan and Mohammed Patel were in the Audi TT but didn't know Ansreen and Mahek Bukhari were also in the vehicle.
He said: "I did ask Raees, 'What are we doing here?' He said, 'Five or 10 minutes and I'll drop you at home'."

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa got out 'to stretch his legs'​

He said he was "cramped up" in the back of the Seat and got out to stretch, with Natasha Akhtar having to get out to let him out of the back of the vehicle. When he got back into the car, he got into the front passenger seat.

The Skoda​

He was asked if he saw the Skoda come into the car park. He said: "I had no idea about that."
He said he was not expecting to meet anyone else in the car park and didn't expect to see any other cars and cannot remember seeing the Skoda in the car park at all.
He said that when Raees started the Seat and drove off they were going to his home to drop him off. Mr Bhatia said: "The route taken was not the route to your home address. What were you thinking?"
He replied: "I weren't really aware of everything. I was still high."

'I never thought much of it'​

As the Seat Leon pursued the Skoda, Gulammustafa was not aware of any cars in front and although they weren't heading towards his home, he 'never thought much of it'.
Mr Bhatia when he first became concerned. He said: "When we got to the lights near Sainsbury's - the Skoda was in front and the Audi was behind."
He said Raees's phone was on speaker phone in the front compartment in the Seat Leon but Gulammustafa said he didn't know who was on the other end. He said: "It was quite loud and there was a little bit of music on as well."
He said he was not aware of what the conversation was about and "weren't really paying attention" to what Raees was saying either.

'Concern' about the driving​

Describing the Skoda ahead of the car he was in, Gulammustafa said: "It was going from the right lane to the left lane to the right lane to the left lane. At about 70 or 80 [mph]."
He said the Seat was close - about a car length behind. He said: "I felt quite stressed. It didn't feel right. I told [Raees] to slow down."
Mr Bhatia asked: "Did anyone else voice concern?" He said Ammeer Jamal, who was in the back of the car, also told Raees Jamal to slow down "a couple of times".

Worry about crash​

When asked what he was worried about, Gulammustafa said: "I thought it might end in a really bad crash."
He went on to describe "a tap" as the car and the Skoda came together. He said: "That's when I started to get angry and shouted at [Raees] quite loudly. He slowed down."

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

How the 'tap' happened​

Asked more about the contact between the cars, Gulammustafa said: "I just seen the Skoda going right, left. As Raees tried to overtake the Skoda came into the Seat's lane and Raees had to brake quite hard due to the Skoda coming into the lane."
He was asked by Mr Bhatia how he felt. He said:"I felt scared for my life."
He said it was some time later that the Skoda came off the road. At that point, he said, "everyone was shocked" about what they had seen. He said: "I didn't know what to do, what to think." But he said nothing was said by anyone in the car.
He said that Raees pulled off the A46 after the Skoda left the road and Natasha Akhtar took over the driving.

'Everyone was just in pure shock'​

He said that as they drove home to Leicester and saw the car in flames the occupants of the Seat Leon did not speak to each other because "everyone was just in pure shock".
He was asked: "What do you think the chances of anyone surviving that was?" He said: "Low."
He was asked if he thought about phoning for an ambulance. He said: "I did but my phone ran out of battery."

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa wore a hood and Covid mask but not a balaclava, he said​

Mr Bhatia asked Gulammustafa why he was walking around with the others when they returned to Leicester instead of going home. He said: "I really didn't want to go home after what I'd witnessed."
He denied wearing a balaclava but said he had been wearing a Covid mask while they were walking around. he said he also had a thicker beard at that point and that he had his hood up.
He said the only other person he recalled talking to on the walk was Ammeer Jamal. Mr Bhatia said: "Didn't you ask Raees what the hell was happening?" He said: "I did. I never got a reply."

Mind 'all over the place' during police interview​

Gulammustafa said that he missed his father's funeral because he was in custody. In his interview he lied to the police, claiming he had not been on the A46. He said he was at a friend's house.
He told the jury he lied because his mind was "all over the place" and he felt he hadn't done anything wrong. He said he had given some 'no comment' responses during his interview because of legal advice he had received.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[LouTennant]

Before the defence gets stuck in it is following a similar pattern it seems. He did nothing wrong but lied at his original interview. Just going with the flow on the night without a clue.

How galling it must be for the victims family when Sanaf sais his battery went dead. He could not ask someone else for a phone?

These people have had 10 months to think about how they can best portray themselfs on the stand.

Shocking.

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa cross-examined by other barristers​

Gulammustafa was asked by Natasha Akhtar's barrister, Timothy Raggat KC, about how stoned he was. He confirmed he smoked about a gram of cannabis with Ammeer Jamal and only uses cannabis occasionally.

Gulammustafa confirmed Natasha Akhtar was told to drive after crash​

Mr Raggat asked Gulammustafa about the time after the fatal crash when Raees Jamal stopped the Seat Leon and Natasha Akhtar took over the driving. He asked whether Akhtar had been instructed to drive by Raees.
Mr Raggat said: "She wasn't aske,d she was told to. And she did as she was told." Gulammustafa said that was right.
Mr Raggat said: "And he wasn't speaking to her much that night?" Gulammustafa replied that was true.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

	Leicester Crown Court​	2​	T20227026 T20227027 T20227046 T20227059​	ameer jamal ansreen bukhari mahek bukhari mohammed patel natasha akhtar raees jamal rekan karwan sanaf gulamustafa​
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 10:36 Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 12:25 - 12:19 Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 12:38 Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 12:59 Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 13:01 Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 14:03 Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:35 - 14:28 Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 14:51 Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:00 - 15:37

https://www.thelawpages.com/court-hearings-lists/Leicester-Crown-Court.php

We didnt seem to get this afternoons updates, maybe we will get them later

 

[Blynk Mist]

We didnt seem to get this afternoons updates, maybe we will get them later

Is there any other source’s for the trial apart from LM? Do transcript’s become available at any point? (Apologies for the newbie question!)

 

[RusselSprout]

Is there any other source’s for the trial apart from LM? Do transcript’s become available at any point? (Apologies for the newbie question!)

Im not sure @Blynk Mist , I think you have to pay for transcripts, and no need to apologise

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa was high on cannabis on night of crash​

Court has heard that Sanaf Gulammustafa had taken about a gram of cannabis on the night of the fatal crash on the A46.
He confirmed he was sitting in the rear of the Seat on the night of Fevruary 11 and was "pretty high" that evening.

Being high impaired reaction on the night​

Sanaf Gulammustafa has acknowledged that being high on cannabis on the night of the collision did impair his ability to react to the crash which killed Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin.
His drug taking is something he acknowledged meant he was unable to grasp what had happened and that after the crash happened, he was in a state of shock and did not call 999.

Memories are 'hazy'​

Sanaf Gulammustafa has acknowledged that his memory of the night of the crash is "hazy" but he knows "for a fact" he was not wearing a mask inside the car.
He also confirmed that fellow co-accused Raess Jamal and Rekhan Karwan were not wearing masks either. It had been earlier claimed in the trial that people inside the Seat had been wearing masks.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Phone call discussed Monopoly​

Phone data shows that Sanaf Gulammustafa was chatting with Raess Jamal for about 11 minutes prior to the collision taking place.
Asked what the topic of conversation was, Gulammustafa said it was to "discuss the rules of Monopoly" and "speak about my dad" who was unwell at the time.
No discussions about their plans for the night were allegedly discussed.

Played Monopoly for about 4 hours​

A group of four including Sanaf Gulammustafa arrived at Tubo where they then played the board game version of Monopoly.
Gulammustafa claimed that at no point during their evenig at Tubo did Raess Jamal discuss a situation that needed sorting later that night. The Monopoly game also involved fellow accused Natasha Akhtar and Ammeer Jamal.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa denies knowing of a plan for that evening​

Sanaf Gulammustafa has denied knowing there were plans involving Saqib Hussain on the evening of the fatal crash.
Balraj Bhatia KC said: "I put it to you there was a time when you knew something was going to happen that night, wasn't there?"
"I did not" replied Gulammustafa.

Rekhan Karwan had called Mahek Bukhari from Tubo's​

Gulammustafa's denial came after it emerged that co-accused Rekhan Karwan had briefly joined the group playing Monopoly at Tubo's. It was here where phone data revealed that Karwan had spoken with Mahek Bukhari.
However, Sanaf Gulammustafa did not speak with Bukhari as he was playing Monopoly. Karwan is said to have left 10 minutes after he arrived.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Gulammustafa is a regular cannabis user​

Sanaf Gulammustafa confirmed that smokes cannabis every two or three days and is a regular user of the drug. He said he smoked about a gram of cannabis in the car park outside Tubo following the Monopoly game as a way to "de-stress".

Gulammustafa did not encourage dangerous driving​

Onto the crash itself, Leicester Crown Court has been told Sanaf Gulammustafa did not encourage the driver of the Seat Leon, Raees Jamal, to drive dangerously down the A46. He claims he did in fact call on him to drive more slowly.

Gulammustafa the 'best person' to witness events​

Balraj Bhatia KC has claimed that of all the people on trial for the murders, Sanaf Gulammustafa was in fact the "best person in the room" to have witnessed the full events on the A46.
Balraj Bhatia KC said: "Of all the people in this room right now, you are the best person to have seen what happened."
"I do not know about that," came the reply

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

'I wasn't involved'​

Sanaf Gulammustafa has said he did not see any news reports - including the Leicester Mercury's own coverage - about the crash the following day as he was focused on looking after his ill father.
After news of the crash did emerge, Gulammustafa was asked why he did not report his witness account to police.
"I wasn't involved. I did nothing wrong," he told the court.

Gulammustafa was 'scared' to speak with police​

Sanaf Gulammustafa was asked once again why he did not speak with police after he had learnt of the arrests of fellow co-accused Natasha Akhar.
"I was scared," he said.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Raees Jamal told Gulammustafa to 'get rid' of his phone​

Phone data the day after the crash showed a number of calls between Sanaf Gulammustafa and Raees Jamal. In one of these calls, Jamal is alleged to have told Gulammustafa to "get rid" of his phone.
Sanaf Gulammustafa said this was not the case. He acknowledged that there were a number of calls between the two though.

'I am telling the truth'​

Quizzed by Balraj Bhatia KC about when his phone was on and off in and around the time of the crash, Sanaf Gulammustafa denied he had lied about his phone battery dying.
"Are you lying about these claims?" asked Balraj Bhatia KC.
"I did not. I am telling you the truth. I am under oath," was the reply from Sanaf Gulammustafa.

Mahek Bukhari TikTok murder trial - day 24 updates

Eight people are on trial for killing Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[Alyce]

Is there any other source’s for the trial apart from LM? Do transcript’s become available at any point? (Apologies for the newbie question!)

Im not sure @Blynk Mist , I think you have to pay for transcripts, and no need to apologise

The only other link I have seen is Birmingham Mail, which is exactly the same as LM.