Aya Hachem: Seven men guilty of drive-by shooting murder

Seven men have been found guilty of murdering a student who was shot dead in a feud between two tyre firm owners.

Aya Hachem, 19, was mistakenly killed in the botched drive-by shooting in Blackburn on 17 May last year.

Tyre firm boss Feroz Suleman, 40, had arranged the execution of a rival businessman but the gunman he hired shot dead Ms Hachem instead.

Seven of the eight people who were on trial at Preston Crown Court were convicted of Ms Hachem's murder.

Suleman along with accomplices Kashif Manzoor, 26, Ayaz Hussain, 35, Abubakr Satia, 32, all of Blackburn; Zamir Raja, 33, of Stretford; Anthony Ennis, 31, of Partington, and Uthman Satia, 29, of Great Harwood, will be sentenced on Thursday.

The eighth defendant, Judy Chapman, 26, of Great Harwood, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and will be sentenced on 1 October.

Ms Hachem was shot as she was walking to the supermarket to buy food for her family to eat when they broke their Ramadan fast.

The Salford University student was said to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time" as the long-running feud between the neighbouring companies culminated in the shooting.

Following the verdicts, Ms Hachem's family said she would "remain in our hearts forever".

"We are so proud of you and we miss you so much, our lives are difficult without you," they added.

"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 charities including the Children's Society and fundraising at Salford University where you were studying to become a barrister."

The court heard how a Toyota Avensis driven by Ennis with hitman Raja on board drove past Quickshine Tyres on three occasions shortly before the fatal fourth journey.

Footage from CCTV cameras captured Suleman stood outside his premises next door at RI Tyres with a "ringside seat" to the shooting he had arranged of rival Pachah Khan, the proprietor of Quickshine Tyres.

The first shot hit the front window of Quickshine and the second was let off as Lebanese-born Ms Hachem walked by, hitting her rather than the intended target.

The jury was told a feud had started in early 2019 when Quickshine, which previously only washed cars, began selling tyres next door to RI Tyres.

Matters deteriorated on 3 December that year when someone set fire to RI Tyres in the early hours of the morning.

On 1 May last year, Suleman called police and reported that Mr Khan had prevented workmen from entering Quickshine's yard to finish putting up a new sign for RI Tyres, the court was told.

Jurors took less than four hours to find the seven men guilty of murder and the attempted murder of Mr Khan.

Alan Richardson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Each of these callous conspirators is in their way responsible for the senseless killing of Aya Hachem - an innocent young woman full of promise who lost her life as a result of a petty business rivalry.

"The ruthlessness of everyone involved is staggering, with the group going to extreme lengths to plan an assassination in broad daylight, risking the lives of members of the public going about their daily business."

In 2001, Suleman was convicted of causing the death of a 67-year-old man by dangerous driving.

He ran away from the scene of the incident in Blackburn and claimed his vehicle had been stolen before he finally pleaded guilty to the offence on the day of his trial and was jailed for three and a half years.

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