Mahak Bukhari, once known for glamorous lifestyle content and as a rising social media influencer, has had her imprisonment reduced despite being convicted of double murder in one of the most disturbing criminal cases in the UK’s recent history.
Bukhari, who murdered her mother’s lover and his friend in a high-speed car chase, has had her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal.
Mahek Bukhari was sentenced to 31 years and eight months of imprisonment in September 2023 for her involvement in the murders of two citizens, Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, both aged 21, in February 2022.
On Friday, October 24, her sentence was reduced to 26 years and 285 days after the judge noted that her age had not been considered when the original 31-year term was imposed.
The other three culprits in the murder plot also had their sentences shortened.
While her life sentence stands, the minimum term was cut from just under 32 years to just over 26 after judges found her emotional immaturity had been insufficiently factored into the original sentence.
Her reduced minimum sentence has now reignited anger and disbelief.
Victims’ families have long insisted the chase was deliberate and merciless. Hussain was terrified in his final moments; his friend Ijazuddin, merely along for the ride, was “an innocent caught in the crossfire,” court records state.
For many, the sentence cut feels like justice in reverse. Two lives were brutally ended, and no matter the influencer’s age or fame, public outrage holds firm: the nature and severity of the crime must outweigh youth or legal excuses.
