A 26-year-old woman has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after crashing a rented Lamborghini at speeds of up to 143mph on the M62, killing her friend.

Humaira Batool, from Bradford, was driving the hired Urus model supercar when it came off the motorway, struck a barrier, overturned and caught fire near Ripponden, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of 21 December 2022. Her passenger, 20-year-old Mohammed Shaan Hussain, died from his injuries trapped inside the vehicle.

During her trial at Leeds Crown Court, prosecutors presented evidence showing the high-performance car had been driven at "grossly excessive speeds" in wet conditions — more than double the national speed limit.

The court heard that Mr Hussain had rented the vehicle to collect a friend from HMP Leeds and picked up Batool at around 04:00 BST. CCTV footage shown to the jury captured Batool initially travelling in the passenger seat before getting out at traffic lights to switch places with Mr Hussain.

Batool told the court she had panicked and taken the wheel after Mr Hussain insisted she drive because he felt unable to. Under cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Dunn accused her of lying to avoid the consequences of her actions.

The jury heard that within eight seconds of leaving the carriageway, the vehicle had crashed and caught fire. Bystanders who had earlier been overtaken by the car stopped to help after hearing shouts, but were forced back by flames shortly before an explosion. Batool was later found on a grass verge, having escaped after the fire melted her seatbelt.

She suffered serious injuries, including a shattered tibia and burns across 10% of her body, while Mr Hussain remained trapped inside the wreckage.

Following the jury's guilty verdict on Wednesday, Batool is due to return to Leeds Crown Court to be sentenced on 2 November. I will be following the sentencing — check back for updates.