A46 deaths: Murder-accused 'had no idea' why pursuit took place

Ameer Jamal (left) was cross-examined by the prosecution on Monday

A man accused of murder said he had no idea why he was involved in a high-speed pursuit that led to the deaths of two men.

Hashim Ijazuddin and Saqib Hussain, both 21, died in a crash on the A46 in Leicestershire in February 2022.

It is claimed a group in two cars rammed the pair off the road to keep secret an affair between co-defendant Ansreen Bukhari and Mr Hussain.

Ameer Jamal, a passenger in one of the cars, gave evidence on Monday.

Leicester Crown Court previously heard Mr Hussain, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had been blackmailing Mrs Bukhari with sexual videos and images from their three-year affair.

The trial has also heard Mr Hussain had been demanding up to £3,000 he had spent on dates with Mrs Bukhari, and a meeting was arranged to hand it over.

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

But the prosecution said Mrs Bukhari and her TikTok influencer daughter Mahek were planning to seize Mr Hussain's phone containing the explicit material.

Footage from the Tesco car park, where the meeting was due to take place, showed that Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin never got out of their Skoda Fabia, and the prosecution say this was because they became suspicious.

Instead, they left the car park, pursued by a Seat Leon and an Audi TT containing the defendants.

The court has heard telematics from the Audi TT showed it had been travelling at about 100mph (161km/h) before the crash.

The prosecution allege Mr Jamal's cousin Raees, who was driving the Seat, was the one that rammed the Skoda off the road. He denies this was the case.

'What the hell are we doing?'

Mr Jamal told the jury he was not aware of the blackmail, a plan to seize Mr Hussain's phone or why they were parked up in the Tesco car park.

He also said he did not know his cousin was following the Skoda Fabia until they were on the A46 trying to overtake the car.

Prosecutor Collingwood Thompson KC asked if Mr Jamal questioned why Raees was doing this.

Mr Jamal said: "I was asking myself, what the hell were we doing?"

When asked if he mentioned this out loud to his cousin, he said he did not, and said he had no idea why the cars were driving in the manner they did.

Mr Jamal said the Seat and Skoda came into contact along the A46, describing it as a "slight nudge" some time before the two men died.

The defendant told the court he told his cousin to "slow down" and "chill out".

The prosecution claims the car carrying Mr Ijazuddin and Mr Hussain was rammed off the road

Mr Jamal said the last time he saw the Skoda, it was "heading to the central reservation".

Mr Thompson asked what was said in the car when this happened, to which Mr Jamal said people were shouting and asking what had happened to the Skoda.

Mr Thompson asked Mr Jamal: "Did you ask anyone to explain what had happened?

"Your account is a remarkable event - you end up pursuing a car up the A46, it comes off the road and when you come back the other way you see a car on fire.

"That's not a usual night out for you, is it?"

Mr Jamal replied: "I've seen what I've seen. It was a traumatising experience."

The group is later spotted on CCTV, shown in court, back in Leicester walking around - with some of the defendants appearing to be covering their faces.

Mr Jamal, who the court heard was one of those covering his face, was asked if he did this to conceal his identity. He said he did not.

"I just wanted to block myself away... I was in a state of panic," he said.

Front, from left: Ansreen Bukhari, Mahek Bukhari, Rekan Karwan, Raees Jamal with back, from 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, 24, 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.