Ansreen Bukhari, 49, was in the car with her daughter Mahek Bukhari as they and others sped after Saqib Hussain and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin on the A46 in Leicester in February 2022.

It ended in a fatal collision for the two men, who were both aged 21 and from Banbury.

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Ansreen and Mahek Bukhari were both convicted of murder, with the then-22-year-old daughter receiving 31 years and eight months in jail from September 2023, reduced to a minimum term of 26 years and 285 days at the Court of Appeal last year.

The mother, Ansreen, was given at least 26 years and nine months in jail, which her lawyers said on Friday was “manifestly excessive”, but an appeal to reduce her sentence was refused by three judges.

Ansreen Bukhari and Tik Tok star Mahek Bukhari (Image: PA)

Lord Justice Jeremy Baker, sitting with Mr Justice Bryan and Judge Simon Hirst, said: “The appellant had many opportunities to prevent escalation of events leading to the deaths of the deceased.”

Christopher Millington KC, for Bukhari, said that she had been the target of blackmail, which had not been taken into account during the sentencing.

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He described how she had begun an affair with Mr Hussain, and afterwards he had demanded £3,000 for what he claimed he had spent on her during that time and refused to end the relationship ‘on good terms’.

He told the court: “Thereafter, and over a period of many, many weeks leading up to these offences, there was what we would categorise as a relentless campaign of blackmail and coercive behaviour from Saqib Hussain towards Ansreen Bukhari.”

On the day of the chase, the barrister said, Mr Hussain ‘ramped up’ the campaign and planned to show Bukhari’s family the ‘sexually compromising material he possessed’.

Bukhari then “got sucked into” a plan which led to “calamitous consequences” while she was “not regarded as being one of the prime movers in this by the trial judge”.

Prosecutor Daren Samat said that Bukhari may not have been a “prime mover”, but “she was an essential part of it”.

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He said: “She was part of the plan to lure the deceased to Leicester in the first place.”

In refusing the appeal, Lord Justice Jeremy Baker said: “We note that the appellant was indeed a central figure and the reason for these offences having taken place, and we are quite satisfied that the minimum term did properly take into account all the matters that have been advanced by Mr Millington.”

Two others were also convicted of the murders alongside the Bukharis, with a further three found guilty of two counts of manslaughter.

The Food Standards Agency scale runs from zero to five, with five the top ‘very good’ rating and zero meaning “urgent improvement necessary”.

Across Oxfordshire’s 5,660 inspected premises, 4,676 currently hold a five, equivalent to 82.6 per cent.

The county is one of the strongest in the country, with more than eight in 10 premises holding the top five-star rating.

Only 92 premises in the county are rated at two or below, and overall Oxfordshire sits comfortably above the national average of 78 per cent.

West Oxfordshire emerges as the star performer with more than nine in 10 businesses rated five.

Of 1,008 premises, 950 have the maximum five rating, giving the district a remarkable 94.2 per cent at the top of the scale and just three sites rated 2 or below.

Oxford City also performs strongly, with 1,193 out of 1,367 premises rated ‘very good’, or 87.3 per cent.

Vale of White Horse records 760 top-rated premises out of 937 (81.1 per cent), while Cherwell has 964 out of 1,210 on 5 (79.7 per cent).

South Oxfordshire has the lowest proportion of five ratings at 71.1 per cent with only 1.85 per cent rated two or below.

Just six premises county-wide are currently on a zero rating, with two in Cherwell and four in Oxford. There are none in South Oxfordshire, Vale or West Oxfordshire.

Expansion of Blackbird Leys’ Mabel Prichard Special School in Cuddesdon Way will be achieved by remodelling and refurbishing the recently vacated foundation stage accommodation at Orchard Meadow Primary School, on the same site.

The project will deliver three new classrooms, pupil toilets, a group room and ancillary accommodation.

Plans also include the creation of an improved entrance, office space, staff room and supporting accommodation.

It will also provide additional car parking and enhanced highway access to the school.

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A full business case is due to be submitted for approval by Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet in August 2026, with an estimated total capital budget exceeding £2m.

Councillor Sean Gaul (Image: Sean Gaul)

Mabel Prichard Special School is managed by the Gallery Trust, which will deliver this project using funding provided by the county council.

Sean Gaul, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children, education and young people’s services, said: “We’re determined to continue investing in services for Oxfordshire’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) children and this commitment is reflected in these exciting plans for Mabel Prichard Special School.

“This will be a partnership approach, working with families, the academy trust, and communities to make a difference to the way children and young people get the support they deserve to help them thrive.”

Pupils and staff at Grove Church of England Primary School are set to benefit from a £9.4 million investment in new buildings and improvements, too.

Grove CE Primary School is an academy managed by Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, who are delivering this project using funding provided by the county council.

County councillor Dan Levy (Image: Newsquest)

A major building project will expand the school’s capacity from 210 to 315 primary pupil places, plus 39 new nursery places.

The budget for this project was approved in an outline business case in June 2025, with the full business case scheduled for consideration within a few months’ time.

The project will be managed by the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, which is responsible for the school, working in partnership with the county council and David Wilson Homes, who is delivering a new housing development in the north of Grove.

Faringdon Community College will also get a new building with seven classrooms, a hall, kitchen, main reception area and staff accommodation.

The existing building will be remodelled to create accommodation for nursery and reception aged pupils.

David Wilson Homes will provide the council with additional land to facilitate this school expansion.

On the additional land will be a full-sized all-weather sports pitch, and a new main entrance into the school site with parking for staff and visitors.

Work on the new building is due to start in February 2027.

Cambrian Learning Trust is delivering the project using funding provided by the county council.