Jury in double murder trial of TikTok star dismissed

Image source, Instagram

Image caption, Mahek Bukhari has denied murdering two men who died in a crash in Leicestershire

The jury in the trial of a TikTok influencer and her mother accused of murdering two men who died in a crash has been dismissed.

Mahek Bukhari, 23, and Ansreen Bukhari, 46, deny the murder of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21.

The two men, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, were killed after their car left the A46 in Leicestershire in the early hours of 11 February.

A retrial will take place in the new year, Leicester Crown Court heard.

Mr Justice Saini said the discharge was "by reason of jury irregularity", adding that it had nothing to do with any alleged conduct of the defendants, or the friends and family of either Mr Hussain or Mr Ijazuddin, "but was purely internal to the jury".

Image source, Leicestershire Police

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

All eight defendants have denied two counts of murder and two alternative charges of manslaughter.

They are:

  • Mahek Bukhari, 23, of George Eardley Close, Stoke-on-Trent
  • Ansreen Bukhari, 46, of George Eardley Close, Stoke-on-Trent
  • Mohammed Patel, 20, of Braybrooke Road, Leicester
  • Natasha Akhtar, 22, of Alum Rock Road, Birmingham
  • Raees Jamal, 22, of Lingdale Close, Loughborough
  • Rekan Karwan, 28, of Tomlin Road, Leicester
  • Sanaf Gulammustafa, 22, of Littlemore Close, Leicester
  • Ameer Jamal, 27, of Catherine Street, Leicester

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