Seven men are found guilty of the murder of law student Aya Hachem
Seven men are guilty of murdering law student Aya Hachem, 19, who was gunned down by mistake by drive-by assassin in deadly car wash feud as she shopped for groceries
- Aya Hachem was shot in the chest by a gunman in Blackburn on May 17 last year
- It was previously heard that the shooting was the result of a long-running feud
- The 19-year-old was described as being ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’
Seven men have been found guilty of murdering an innocent teenager who was killed in a ‘senseless and shocking’ drive-by shooting.
Tragic law student Aya Hachem, 19, was shot in the chest from a passing car as she shopped for groceries near her home in Blackburn, Lancsashire, last May 17.
She was not the intended target of the shooting, which came after a long-running fued between rival tyre firm owners Feroz Suleman and Pachah Khan.
Suleman, 40, Kashif Manzoor, 26, Ayaz Hussain, 35, Abubakr Satia, 32, Zamir Raja, 33, Anthony Ennis, 31, Uthman Satia, 29, were today found guilty of murder at Preston Crown Court.
Their co-accused Judy Chapman, 26, was cleared of murdering Aya but found guilty of manslaughter after a 12-week trial.
All seven men were also convicted of the attempted murder of Pachah Khan while Chapman was acquitted of the attempted murder of Mr Khan.
Seven people have been found guilty of the murder of law student Aya Hachem (left and right) who was gunned down as she shopped for groceries in botched drive-by execution
Feroz Suleman (right), 40, and Kashif Manzoor (left), 26, were among the men found guilty of murdering the teenager
Jury at Preston Crown Court also found Abubakir Satia (left), 32, and his brother Uthman Satia (right), 29, guilty of murder
Ayaz Hussain (left), 35, was also found guilty of Ms Hachem’s murder. Judy Chapman (right), 26, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter
The court previously heard the drive-by shooting was organised by Suleman, who had been embroiled in a bitter feud with his neighbour and business rival Mr Khan.
Suleman hired Raja, a hitman from Manchester, to carry out the shooting for the price of £1,500.
Raja, of no fixed address, refused to fully participate in cross-examination and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
On his behalf, his legal team argued it was never his intention to kill and he had set out on a mission to ‘scare or intimidate’ Mr Khan and his workers at Quickshine Tyres.
Nicholas Johnson QC previously told the jury Raja, the man who he says fired the shot that killed Aya, fled to Portugal via Dublin nine days after the incident.
Three days later Anthony Ennis, the man accused of being Raja’s driver at the time of the hit, flew to the continent on his brother’s passport, it was heard.
Prosecutors say a meet up between the pair in which they initially pretended not to know each other but later embraced in a ‘brotherly hug’ was caught on CCTV.
The shooting was the culmination of a long-running dispute between Suleman, the owner of RI Tyres, and Mr Khan, the owner of Quickshine Tyres, after the latter began to sell tyres having previously only washed cars. Pictured: Police at the scene previously
Nicholas Johnson QC told the jury at Preston Crown Court: ‘They thought they had got away with murder. Home free.’
By this stage, other suspects Feroz Suleman, Judy Chapman, Kashif Manzoor, Abubkar Satia, Uthman Satia and Hussain Ayaz had all been arrested.
Ten days after he had travelled to Portugal, Raja returned to the UK in a car he had hired with Ennis in Portugal, Mr Johnson told the court.
Mr Johnson told the court the feud between Suleman and Mr Khan started in 2019 when Quickshine began selling tyres next door to RI after previously only washing cars.
This resulted in ‘bad blood’, it was heard, and a plan was hatched to kill Mr Khan and/or someone else at Quickshine.
The court heard Aya, an aspiring solicitor, was walking along King Street in Blackburn at 3pm on May 17, 2020, when she was hit.
Aya, a second-year student at the University of Salford, died in hospital from a single gunshot wound a short time later.
Her distraught parents said she was the ‘most loyal, devoted daughter’ who enjoyed spending time with her family.
Ms Hachem’s father Ismail – a former soldier – arrived in England ten years ago as an asylum seeker before being granted British citizenship in 2019
Aya and her family were also known to be heavily involved with Blackburn’s asylum seeker and refugee community.
She herself had fled war-torn Lebanon for a new life in the UK and had passed her second year exams shortly before her tragic death.
She was a trustee with the Children’s Society and won Student of the Year at Blackburn Central High School in 2016.
In a touching tribute online at the time of Aya’s death, Noreen Hussain said: ‘Aya Hachem was exactly the type of young woman I’d love for her to aspire to be like.’
The Asylum and Refugee Community (ARC) Project wrote in a Facebook post: ‘With great sadness and heartache we have to share with you that we have lost Aya, beloved eldest daughter of Samar and Ismael from Lebanon.
‘Aya, one of our own, lost her life in a horrific senseless attack, randomly caught up in a shooting outside Lidl, King Street, Blackburn as she walked past at around 3pm on Sunday.
‘Aya, a beautiful 19 year old young woman from Lebanon, had just passed her 2nd year law exams at Salford University and had a dream and ambition to study international law.
‘Aya and her family are much loved in our ARC community.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with them at this painful time especially during this holy month of Ramadan when Aya and her family were fasting.’
Ms Hachem’s family flew to Lebanon for the teenager’s funeral which was held in Qlaileh. Pictured: Her coffin is carried by relatives
In a statement issued after the verdicts, Aya’s heartbroken family said: ‘We thank God for the justice that has been served today.
‘To our dear beautiful angel in heaven we know you are in a better and more beautiful place. God chose you from amongst many and blessed you with martyrdom.
‘We are so proud of you and we miss you so much – our lives are difficult without you. This is God’s decree and praise be to God for this. You will remain in our hearts forever.
‘You loved life and despite all the struggles and barriers that we faced in this country, it did not stop you contributing to your community and charites including the Children’s Society and fundraising at Salford University where you were studying to become a barrister.
‘God chose you as an angel in his heaven. Heaven is yours and may God give us the patience after your murder. We love you.’
