Mahek Bukhari, a once-rising TikTok influencer with a burgeoning social media following, is now at the center of a criminal saga that has gripped the UK and reverberated far beyond the world of online fame. On October 24, 2025, the Court of Appeal slashed the minimum term of her life sentence for double murder, concluding that her original punishment was “manifestly excessive” given her age and lack of maturity at the time of the crime. The decision comes after a highly publicized trial and a series of appeals that have exposed the tangled web of relationships, blackmail, and violence that led to the deaths of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin in February 2022.
Bukhari, who was just 22 when the murders took place, was initially sentenced in September 2023 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years and eight months. Her mother, Ansreen Bukhari, was also convicted and sentenced to at least 26 years and nine months for her role in the killings. The case stemmed from Ansreen’s affair with Saqib Hussain, a relationship that ended badly and set off a tragic chain of events.
According to Metro, the trouble began when Ansreen Bukhari tried to break off her three-year relationship with Hussain. Hussain, feeling aggrieved, threatened to release sexually explicit material he had of Ansreen unless he was paid £3,000—the amount he claimed to have spent on her during their affair. This threat of blackmail escalated tensions and set the stage for a deadly confrontation.
Prosecutors told Leicester Crown Court that Hussain and his friend, Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21 and from Banbury in Oxfordshire, were lured to a Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester, under the pretense of returning money. But instead of a peaceful resolution, the two men were ambushed by the Bukharis and six accomplices. What followed was a high-speed chase along the A46, with the assailants in two cars—an Audi TT and a Seat Leon—pursuing Ijazuddin’s Skoda Fabia at speeds reaching up to 100mph.
As the chase unfolded, Hussain made a desperate 999 call to police, telling the operator, “I’m begging you, I’m gonna die.” These harrowing final moments, captured in the emergency call, left a lasting impression on the jury and the public alike. The chase ended when the Skoda was deliberately rammed off the road, splitting the car in two and killing both Hussain and Ijazuddin instantly.
Forensic collision investigators confirmed the extraordinary speed and violence of the crash. The evidence painted a chilling picture of a planned ambush that spiraled into deadly chaos. The Crown Prosecution Service, represented by Collingwood Thompson KC, acknowledged during the appeal that Hussain’s blackmail “undoubtedly existed.” However, the CPS maintained that the original sentence, though “tough,” was not “manifestly excessive.”
Mahek Bukhari’s legal team, led by Christopher Millington KC, argued at the October 17, 2025, appeal hearing that her age and “lack of maturity” should have been given greater weight in sentencing. Millington emphasized that Hussain’s threats to release explicit material were a significant factor in the events leading up to the murders. “None of this, we submit, was reflected in the fixing of the minimum term as it should have been,” he told the court, according to National World.
In the end, the Court of Appeal agreed that the sentencing judge had failed to adequately account for Mahek’s youth. Lord Justice Warby, delivering the ruling alongside Mr Justice Lavender and Judge Sylvia De Bertodano, stated, “The judge did not make enough allowance for the fact that this appellant was an immature 22-year-old at the time of these offences.” The panel found that Mahek’s response to the blackmail was “disproportionate,” noting, “It was hard to see any real link between any of Saqib’s behaviour and the events on the A46 that led to his death.” Yet, they concluded that her “youth and her acknowledged immaturity were given far too little weight” and should have “exerted a substantial downward pressure on the minimum term.”
The revised sentence reduces Mahek’s minimum term to 26 years and 285 days. This adjustment also reflects a broader reconsideration of the roles played by other defendants. Two additional individuals were convicted of murder alongside the Bukharis, and three others—Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal, and Sanaf Gulamustafa—were found guilty of manslaughter. The trio, who also appealed their sentences, received prison terms of 11 years and eight months, 14 years and eight months, and 14 years and nine months, respectively. Their sentences were also reduced by two years after the court acknowledged their “minor role” in the events and their “incapability of doing anything to reduce the obvious risk” of such a high-speed chase.
Lord Justice Warby summarized the court’s view of the case: “It seems to us indisputable that the car chase carried a high risk of death or really serious harm and that this should have been obvious to all those in each car.” However, he also noted that “the minor role played by each” of the manslaughter defendants “should have had a powerful downward impact” on their sentences. “The sentences for all these appellants were manifestly excessive. They could and should have been substantially lower,” he concluded.
The case has cast a harsh spotlight on the intersection of social media fame and criminal responsibility. Mahek Bukhari, known to her fans as Maya, had amassed 126,000 followers on TikTok and 43,000 on Instagram before her arrest. Her online persona often featured her mother, Ansreen, and presented a glamorous image of their close relationship. One video, for instance, was captioned, “Having an elite relationship with your mum. So blessed to have her in my life, my mother, best friend and sister all in one.”
Yet behind the scenes, family dynamics and personal relationships unraveled in a way that neither followers nor casual observers could have anticipated. The case has prompted broader questions about the pressures of social media, the impact of online personas on real-life decisions, and the tragic consequences that can result when personal conflicts escalate beyond control.
For the families of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, the sentence reductions are unlikely to bring closure. The loss of two young men in such violent circumstances is a wound that no court ruling can heal. But for legal observers and the wider public, the Court of Appeal’s decision offers a reminder that justice must balance accountability with an understanding of individual circumstances—including age, maturity, and the complex motivations behind criminal acts.
The story of Mahek Bukhari is a cautionary tale about the perils of fame, the volatility of personal relationships, and the irrevocable consequences of choices made in moments of desperation. As the legal process draws to a close, its lessons will linger—on social media and beyond.
