Seven people have been convicted of murdering a teenager who was shot by mistake during an attack mounted as part of a feud between rival businesses in a former cotton mill town in Lancashire.
Feroz Suleman, 40, and six co-defendants face life in prison for the murder of Aya, a Lebanese-born law student at the University of Salford who was gunned down as she walked home from a trip to buy groceries.
Aya Hachem, who was shot dead by mistake in Blackburn in May 2020
© Photo : Family/Lancashire Police
At the trial at Preston Crown Court it emerged the intended target was Pacha Khan, who owned Quick Shine Tyres, a car wash and tyre repair business.
The shooting was the culmination of a year-long feud between Mr Khan and Feroz Suleman, the owner of RI Tyres. Suleman was furious when Mr Khan moved from the car wash business into tyrefitting and started stealing his customers.
A war of words developed and in the end Suleman ordered a hit on his rival.
He hired a Manchester-based hitman, Zamir Raja, 33, to carry out the killing.
Raja, in a stolen Toyota Avensis driven by 31-year-old Anthony Ennis, fired out of the window of the car at 3pm on 17 May 2020.
The getaway car used by killers of Aya Hachem
© Photo : Lancashire Police
But the bungling contract killer missed Mr Khan and instead killed Aya.
On Tuesday, 3 August, Suleman was convicted of murder along with Raja, Ennis, Kashif Manzoor, 26, Uthman Satia, 29, Abubakr Satia, 32, and Ayaz Hussain, 35.
All seven were also convicted of the attempted murder of Mr Khan.
Uthman Satia’s girlfriend, Judy Chapman, 26, was acquitted of murder and attempted murder but convicted of manslaughter.