THE family of murdered student Aya Hachem paid a tearful tribute to her in Blackburn this afternoon – a year on from when she was gunned down in the street.

On Sunday May 17, 2020, the Hachem family’s world stopped.

They had just received the news that their beloved daughter and sister Aya, had been shot.

The teenage law student had been walking home from the Lidl supermarket in King Street, Blackburn, when she was struck by a bullet fired from a passing vehicle.

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The 19-year-old was treated by paramedics and rushed to hospital but tragically died shortly after.

This morning, exactly a year after the aspiring solicitor’s death, her murder trial began at Preston Crown Court.

At 3.05pm family, friends and members of the community gathered at the place she had been shot to hold a vigil in her memory.

Aya’s dad Ismail, mum Samar, brother Ibrahim, sister Assil and younger brother Amir all travelled up from London, where they have been living since her death, to pay tribute to her.

At the vigil, Ibrahim said: “Aya deserves justice. She is gone but she will never be forgotten.

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“Aya to us wasn’t just a normal person, she was an angel in all aspects. She was caring and so pure. She had a lot of dreams and she supported us. She was the younger sister but she was the one who supported me more than I supported her.

“If I ever needed anything she was there for me. If my brother or sister needed anything, she was there for them. She was very good in school and university and everyone around he loved her. She got taken too soon from us.

“I have never seen a human who was so pure. She made us believe she was an angel and that’s not just because she was my sister.”

Family and friends laid flowers at the scene, scattering petals and hanging pictures and artwork of her on railings. White balloons were released as the family prayed together.

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Speaking about support from the community, Ibrahim said: “We lived here for eight years and the people are amazing, especially the people who are here today, it shows that everybody loved Aya. She was a loveable person. This community, even on the day she was shot, have been right next to us the whole time.

“They know that she was a very good person and they know that she needs justice.”
A jury will be selected and sworn in over the coming days with the prosecution expected to open their case towards the end of the week.

Eight people have been charged with Aya’s murder and the attempted murder of another man, Pacha Khan.

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They are: Feroz Suleman, 40, of Shear Brow, Blackburn; n Kashif Manzoor, 26, of Shakeshaft Street, Blackburn; Judy Chapman, 26, of St Hubert’s Road, Great Harwood; Uthman Satia, 29, of St Hubert’s Road, Great Harwood; Abubakr Satia, 32, of Oxford Close, Blackburn; Ayaz Hussain, 35, of Calgary Avenue, Blackburn; Zamir Raja, 33, of Davyhulme Road, Stretford, Manchester; Anthony Ennis, 31, of Grasmere Court, Partington.

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The trial is expected to last around 10 weeks.