A TikTok influencer who was jailed alongside her mom for a double murder has just had her sentence cut down after judges ruled it was 'manifestly excessive'.
Mahek Bukhari, who is a social media influencer with over 190,000 followers on TikTok, was originally handed a life sentence with a minimum of 31 years back in September 2023 for her involvement in the deaths of two men, Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, in 2022.
Meanwhile, her mom, Ansreen Bukhari, was also convicted and imprisoned for 26 years.
Leicester Crown Court heard that Hussain, who'd been in a relationship with Ansreen, had threatened to release sexually explicit material exposing their affair if she did not pay him back the £3,000 ($3,992) he claimed he'd spent during their relationship.
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In February 2022, Hussain and Ijazuddin, both 21, were 'lured' to a supermarket parking lot for 'one last meeting' with the women under the guise of returning the money.
However, the Bukharis and others ambushed the men, leading to a car crash which resulted in the deaths of Hussain and Ijazuddin.
Moments before his death, Hussain made a desperate 999 call, telling police: "We’re being rammed off the road by guys in balaclavas... Please, I’m begging you, I’m going to die."
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Seconds later, his final words - 'Oh my God' - were heard before a crash cut the line. Investigators later confirmed that one of the cars was going up to 100mph.
Alongside the mother and daughter, Rekhan Karwan, 29, and Raees Jamal, 23, were convicted of murder and sentenced to 26 years and 31 years, while three others - Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal and Sanaf Gulamustafa - were found guilty on two counts of manslaughter, and were sentenced to 11, 14, and 14 years and nine months, respectively.
At a hearing yesterday (October 24), the Court of Appeal reduced Mahek’s minimum term to 26 years and 285 days, after her legal team argued the original sentence was 'wholly disproportionate'.
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Lord Justice Warby said the sentencing judge had failed to make 'enough allowance' for the fact that Mahek was only 22 years old at the time and still 'immature'.
Christopher Millington KC, representing Mahek, had argued earlier this month that her age, 'lack of maturity' and the emotional pressure of Hussain’s threats should have been factored into her punishment.
While the Crown Prosecution Service admitted Hussain’s blackmail 'undoubtedly existed', they insisted the sentence was fair - but the appeal judges disagreed, ruling that Mahek’s age should have 'exerted a substantial downward pressure' on her term.
Her mum’s life sentence remains unchanged, with a minimum of 26 years, and several of the other defendants, including Karwan and Jamal, had their sentences reduced by two years.
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In the ruling, Warby said it was 'indisputable' that the car chase had 'a high risk of death or really serious harm' which should have been 'obvious to all those in each car'.
He continued that the 'minor role played by each' of them should have had a 'powerful downward impact' on their sentences.
Joe Yates