Mahek Bukhari: Murder-accused TikToker called crash victim a liar

The jury was shown Mahek Bukhari's police interviews

A court has been shown footage of a TikTok influencer describing a man she is accused of murdering as a "psychotic" liar.

Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, died on the A46 near Leicester on 11 February 2022.

Prosecutors claim Mahek Bukhari and others rammed the pair off the road to keep an affair between her mother and Mr Hussain secret.

A trial was shown interviews she gave to police after being arrested.

Ms Bukhari, 23, her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, and six other defendants deny two counts of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court.

Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin (left) and Saqib Hussain died at the scene

Prosecutors say Mr Hussain had been blackmailing his former lover with sexual videos and images from their three-year affair.

It is claimed the defendants lured him and his friend Mr Ijazuddin to Leicester for a meeting before ramming their car off the road, causing both men's deaths.

In police interviews, Ms Bukhari, from Stoke-on-Trent, denied being responsible for the deaths.

She spoke uninterrupted for 30 minutes as she explained to officers what had happened on the night the men died, an account the prosecution previously described as a "pack of lies".

Her intention had been to go to Nottingham, she told officers, but she ended up in Leicester instead due to roadworks.

The influencer said she had been due to promote a Nottingham shisha lounge on social media for money but did not know the name of the business or the identity of the owner.

Car park meeting

The court heard Ms Bukhari had posted on social media she was in Leicester and that Mr Hussain - who she described as a "stalker" to police - was in the area.

She told officers Mr Hussain, who allegedly had fake naked images of her, made threats to her, demanding between £2,000 and £3,000.

They subsequently arranged to meet in a Tesco car park in Hamilton.

Ms Bukhari was shown CCTV images of her Audi TT following a "blue car" into the supermarket - which the prosecution say was a Seat Leon carrying four defendants.

She responded she "didn't remember it".

The prosecution claims the car carrying the two men was rammed off the road

At one point in the interview, Det Con Niall Simpson, from Leicestershire Police, asks: "I'm going to ask you a very straight forward question May [a reference to her TikTok handle], have you been telling me the truth?"

She replied that she had been telling the truth, adding: "My heart is pure."

Ms Bukhari went to tell officers Mr Hussain asked to meet in a different place but she refused and left towards the A46.

Ms Bukhari was shown CCTV footage showing three cars "travelling in a convoy" along the A46.

"It looks to me like the blue car is front of the silver car and you are very close to the back," Det Con Simpson said.

"One could say you were trying to slow that car down."

She denied that was the case and said she had "no relation to either car".

'He's lied so much'

Ms Bukhari was then played the distressed 999 call made by Mr Hussain in which he said he was being "followed by people with balaclavas on" and that they were trying to "ram him off the road".

He tells the operator to send help and that he's "going to die". A scream is heard before the line goes silent.

Reacting to the recording, Ms Bukhari shakes her head and breaks down in tears.

"He's lied so much," she tells officers.

"If you'd only go and see what he's done to me.

"I would never ever lie and the way he manipulates people is so good.

"This man would sacrifice anybody... he's psychotic."

(From front left) Ansreen Bukhari, Mahek Bukari, Rekan Karwan, Raees Jamal with (from top left) Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulammustafa, Natasha Akhtar and Mohammed Patel

The defendants are:

Ansreen Bukhari, 46, of George Eardley Close, Stoke-on-Trent

Mahek Bukhari, 23, of George Eardley Close, Stoke-on-Trent

Rekan Karwan, 29, of Tomlin Road, Leicester

Raees Jamal, 22, of Lingdale Close, Loughborough

Mohammed Patel, 22, of Braybrooke Road, Leicester

Natasha Akhtar, 23, of Alum Rock Road, Birmingham

Sanaf Gulammustafa, 23, of Littlemore Close, Leicester

Ameer Jamal, 28, of Catherine Street, Leicester

The trial continues.