TikTok influencer and mother ‘murdered’ two men in car crash over sex tape blackmail, court hears
A TikTok influencer murdered her mother’s 21-year-old lover who had blackmailed her with a sex tape, a court has been told.
Saqib Hussain and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, were killed when their Skoda crashed into a tree after 23-year-old Mahek Bukhari hatched a plot with others to “set a trap”, prosecutors said.
The vehicle was “virtually split in two” by the impact and then caught fire just after midnight on 11 February.
Saqib Hussain was having an affair with Ansreen Bukhari, the court heard
Just before he died, front-seat passenger Mr Hussain made a 999 call to police claiming Mr Ijazuddin’s silver Skoda Fabia was being “blocked in” and rammed by attackers wearing balaclavs who had been following them in two cars.
In a recording of the call played to Leicester Crown Court, he said: “They’re trying to ram us off the road. Please, I’m begging you, I’m going to die.”
He also said “Oh my God”, before there was a scream and the call cut off at the sound of an impact.
Police footage from the scene showed the Skoda in flames in the central reservation of the A46 dual carriageway, by the Six Hills junction near Leicester.
The two men, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had been friends since school. Mr Ijazuddin had agreed to drive his friend to Leicester that night – described as a “fatal mistake that cost him his life” by prosecutors.
Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin was in the car with Mr Hussain when it crashed
Collingwood Thompson KC, prosecuting, said Mr Hussain’s 999 call was a key indicator that the crash “was not simply a tragic road traffic accident but a deliberate murder”.
Ansreen Bukhari and her daughter Mahek Bukhari, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, deny murder.
Mr Hussain’s family later told detectives he was having a three-year affair with 45-year-old Ansreen Bukhari, who was married with children.
Mahek Bukhari and her mother Ansreen Bukhari.
Mr Hussain had recorded “sexually explicit” material, the prosecutor said, and videos and photos of the couple were found on Mr Hussain’s Instagram account.
When Mrs Bukhari tried to end the relationship in January against Mr Hussain’s wishes, he “became increasingly obsessive, professing his love for her”, Mr Thompson said.
After Mrs Bukhari would not return his calls, Mr Thompson said Mr Hussain’s anger “manifested itself in an attempt to blackmail Ansreen Bukhari in order to persuade her to contact him” and threatened to send the sexually explicit material to her husband and son unless she agreed to speak to him.
Mrs Bukhari confided in her daughter about the blackmail attempt, and Mr Thompson told jurors that it set out a possible motive to “silence” Mr Hussain.
Mahek Bukhari and Ansreen Bukhari deny murder.
Mahek Bukhari, known as Maya, had 126,000 followers on TikTok and 43,000 on Instagram before her arrest, regularly posting updates on her handbags, clothes and make-up.
On 4 January she messaged her mother saying: “I’ll soon get him jumped by guys and he won’t know what day it is.”
She later texted her mother: “Leave it to me.”
The women appeared in court alongside Rekan Karwan, 28, of Leicester, and Raees Jamal, 22, of Loughborough, who are both said to have recruited others, including Natasha Akhtar, 22, of Birmingham, who owned one of the cars involved in the pursuit.
Also in the dock are Sanaf Gulammustafa, 22, Ameer Jamal, 27, and Mohammed Patel, 20, all from Leicester.
The three women and five men deny two charges of murder and two alternative charges of manslaughter. The trial continues.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA
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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
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While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.
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