Lancashire Police have released some shocking footage that shows the moment a man who was involved in the murder of 19-year-old Aya Hachem realised that the shooting had been caught on camera.
Hachem was shot on her way to Lidl in Blackburn to buy food to break her and her family's Ramadan fast on May 17 2020.
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She was caught up accidentally in an ongoing feud between 31-year-old car wash owner Pacha Khan and 40-year-old tyre shop owner Feroz Suleman.
The dispute started when Khan started to sell tyres out of the Quick Shine car wash, entering into direct competition with Suleman.
So, Suleman hired a hitman - 33-year-old Zamir Raja - to kill Khan, but as the two shots were fired, Aya stepped out to avoid some passing cyclists and found herself in the path of a bullet.
Tragically, she was killed.
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Yesterday - August 5 - seven men people who played 'crucial' roles in her murder were sentenced to life in prison, with all seven sentences totalling 216 years.
Another woman was found guilty of manslaughter.
Lancashire Police have since been tweeting out evidence from the case, which saw the arrests of 23 people and 88,000 hours of CCTV footage watched.
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The murderers went to great lengths to conceal their involvement, including buying phones so that they could leave their smartphones at other locations to attempt to convince police they were there.
36-year-old Ayaz Hussain was the man who recruited the hitman to kill Suleman.
As he was questioned by police, he reacted with shock and horror upon realising that CCTV had captured the shooting.
Gunman Raja was later tracked down in part because of a selfie he shared with a gun emoji saying he was 'out ere'.
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He was sentenced to a minimum of 34 years. The driver in the car at the time of the shooting, Anthony Ennis, received at least 33 years.
26-year-old Judy Chapman and her boyfriend Uthman Sadia, 29, drove the two to a Toyota Avensis purchased for the murder, before waiting for them afterwards to help them escape.
Chapman was found guilty of manslaughter, and Satia was given a minimum of 28 years.
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Accomplice Kashif Manzoor boasted to Suleman's girlfriend over text messages that she would 'find out tomorrow, probably read it in the papers', where her boyfriend was.
He will serve a minimum of 27 years.
Suleman himself will serve a minimum of 34 years.
Aya Hachem was described by her family as 'very bright' and their 'shining star'. She was a law student at Salford University and wanted to help 'oppressed' people through her work.
Her dad, Ismali Hachem, said: "Aya was so kind and hard-working, focused and determined. She helped so many people.
"Aya was destined to do well in life. I once told her she would be Prime Minister. I believe she would have been and so did she.
"I'm proud to have had Aya as a daughter, we were blessed.
"Her life has been taken away from her before she could even begin to live it."
Featured Image Credit: Lancashire PoliceTopics: Police, UK News, crime, Murder, Prison