SEVEN men have been found guilty of murdering law student Aya Hachem, 19, who was gunned down near her Blackburn home. Tragic Aya was shot in the chest from a passing car as she shopped for groceries in Lancs., on May 17 last year. Preston Crown Court has found all seven guilty of murder except […]
SEVEN men have been found guilty of murdering law student Aya Hachem, 19, who was gunned down near her Blackburn home.
Tragic Aya was shot in the chest from a passing car as she shopped for groceries in Lancs., on May 17 last year.
Preston Crown Court has found all seven guilty of murder except Judy Chapman, who has been found guilty of manslaughter, reports the Lancashire Telegraph.
It was previously heard the shooting resulted from a long-running feud between the owners of two tyre companies and that Aya was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
The law student’s death was the culmination of a long-running dispute between Feroz Suleman, the owner of RI Tyres, and Pachah Khan, the proprietor of Quickshine Tyres, a jury at Preston Crown Court was told in May.
Zamir Raja, 33, one of eight people on trial accused of murder, initially denied any involvement in the crime but on June 18 admitted manslaughter.
The prosecution said she was shot by hired hitman Raja, who was sitting in the back of a Toyota Avensis being driven by Anthony Ennis.
Footage from CCTV cameras allegedly captured Suleman standing outside his premises next door at RI Tyres with a “ringside seat” to the shooting he had arranged.
Aya died from her injuries a short time later.
A man who played an ‘important and significant’ role in the shooting of the innocent teenager changed his plea mid-trial – and admitted to killing the law student.
The Crown Court previously heard how the shooting on May 17 2020 resulted from a long-running feud between the owners of two tyre firms.
Ayaz Hussain, who prosecutors believed was the link between hitman Zamir Raja and organiser Feroz Suleman, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday July 21.
They were among eight defendants linked with the teenager’s death who all initially pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and attempted murder at the start of the trial in May.
Raja was the only other defendant in the case to have entered a guilty plea to manslaughter, mid-way through the trial on June 18.
The remaining defendants – Judy Chapman, Anthony Ennis, Kashif Manzoor, Uthman Satia, Abubakr Satia and Suleman had denied all charges.
The prosecution pursued a murder charge against both Hussain and Raja despite their manslaughter pleas.
The bad blood between the men had been building over a period of time.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson
Over the past few months, the jury has heard evidence from all defendants.
The prosecution argued that all eight individuals played an ‘important and significant’ role in the death of tragic Aya.
Nicholas Johnson QC, prosecuting the case, told the jury that owner of RI Tyres Suleman set up the shooting – hiring Raja to take out his business rival Mr Khan.
When opening the case in May, Mr Johnson said: “The bad blood between the men had been building over a period of time and it got to the extent that a plan was hatched to kill Mr Khan and/or someone else at Quickshine Tyres.
“What happened was planned in detail and involved many people.
“The prosecution alleges that each of the eight people in the dock played their part.”
However, Raja missed his intended target and fired one shot at the window of Mr Khan’s business Quickshine Tyres, and a second which instantly killed Aya.
The prosecutor said that Aya was shot dead while walking on King Street at about 3pm.
Ennis and Hussain had both told the jury they were aware of a plan to scare Mr Khan and other workers at Quickshine, but denied having any knowledge that somebody was to be hurt or killed.
Sentencing will take place at Preston Crown Court on Thursday.
