Family of murdered student shot in Blackburn vow to carry on her legacy

The family of a law student who was shot in Blackburn say they'll carry on her legacy of helping others.

Seven men were found guilty of the murder of the Salford university student at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Feroz Suleman, of Shear Brow, Blackburn, Kashif Manzoor, of Shakeshaft Street, Blackburn, Kashif Manzoor, of Shakeshaft Street, Blackburn, Uthman Satia, of St Hubert’s Road, Great Harwood, Abubakr Satia, of Oxford Close, Blackburn, Ayaz Hussain, of Calgary Avenue, Blackburn, Zamir Raja, of Davyhulme Road, Stretford, Manchester, Anthony Ennis, of Grasmere Court, Partington were today found guilty of murder by the jury at Preston Crown Court.

They were also ALL found guilty of the attempted murder of Pachah Khan, the owner of Quickshine Tyres.

The final defendant, Judy Chapman, of St Hubert’s Road, Great Harwood was not found guilty of murder or attempted murder, but was found guilty of manslaughter.

19-year-old Aya Hachem was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting while she was on her way to the shops on King's Road in Blackburn in May 2020.

The incident 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.

The jury heard Feroz Suleman hired Zamir Raja to kill Pachah Khan.

Aya Hachem was "In the wrong place at the wrong time"

Aya Hachem's brutal death is only the more heartbreaking for the fact her family came here fleeing violence from their home country.

Her mum and dad left Lebanon as refugees coming to the UK in the hope their children would be safe.

But it would be here on the streets of Blackburn that her life would ruthlessly be cut short by a devastating gun attack.

The prosecution said Aya was simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Aya's family pay tribute

Ibrahim Hachem, Aya's older brother, paid tribute to his sister: "She made us believe that she's an angel. It's not just because she's my sister...no one had enough of her , she was taken very soon.

"She was caring, she's the definition of a human being. She's so pure, she had a lot of dreams, she supported us, she was the younger sister but she's the one who supported me more than I supported her."

Ibrahim said his family's lives have been turned upside down by the tragedy: "What's the point of living now? She used to be everything for us, so now what is the point of just walking around, going to school, going to uni, getting a job, what is the point of all that? We lived here together side by side for nearly 10 years...for us we lost everything, she was everything for us."

Aya's family to carry on her legacy

To all those who knew Aya she was a kind, caring and hardworking young woman.

After experiencing and witnessing the hardship her family faced when they arrived in the UK as refugees, the law student wanted to become a solicitor to help others.

Ibrahim said they'll carry on her legacy of helping others and her kindness will live on: "It was very tough for us here at first when we came to this country, she saw how bad it was for us, she wanted to help people, especially children as she was in a lot of charities for children."

The teenager would take time to out of her studies to go to London to sit in charity meetings and meet with families to try and help them.

Her brother added: "She wanted to be there for everyone that needed help, she didn't want to see no one that's oppressed...it doesn't matter who you are, she was there for everyone."

"They're not going to make us forget about her. Aya she's...what can I say, Aya's worth more than the whole history of life, they're not going to erase her."