Aya Hachem’s hopes and promises were cruelly snatched away when she was murdered in cold blood Aya Hachem and her family moved to the UK when she was nine years old. They found refuge in Blackburn after fleeing war and strife in Lebanon. After Aya’s father was shot in the crossfire, they made the tough choice to abandon their house. Aya was defined as a “beacon of hope” within five years of her arrival in Lancashire.
By the age of 14, she was sitting on a panel with her parents to help traumatized immigrants. She didn’t talk much about her own trauma, but her early life and voyage to ostensible safety had an impact on her as she planned a future in international law.
Aya, the eldest of four siblings, thrived in school and was named student of the year at Blackburn Central High School in 2016. She was named the Children’s Society’s youngest-ever trustee at the age of 16 for her charitable efforts, according to Lancs Live.
Ismail, Aya’s father, was granted British status in 2019, nearly ten years after settling in the UK. “I thought we would be safe here”, he said. “This small town, no big problems…. All my dreams were Aya. Everything Aya.”
Aya had finished her second year of law at Salford University by May 2020. Her future was full of hope. On May 17, 2022, on a peaceful street in Blackburn, the family has ripped apart when Aya was trapped in the crossfire. However, it was not a conflict that took the life of the bright student, but rather a dispute between competing business owners over the selling of tires in town, according to the Manchester evening news.
That month, Aya’s family joined Muslims all over the world in fasting during Ramadan. Aya, the eldest of four siblings, set off from home on May 17 to buy food from Lidl to break the fast at sunset.
When she did not come home, her family became concerned. Ismail tried to contact his daughter, but the lines were disconnected. When he set out to locate her, he came across the police barrier, completely ignorant that he was confronted with the scene of his daughter’s death.
It wasn’t long before the shocking reality came to light. Two police detectives arrived at the family’s door to deliver the devastating news that Aya had been wounded.
Two shots were fired from a Toyota Avensis as she strolled down King Street, the first striking a glass at Quickshine Car Wash and the second hitting Aya. The bullet passed Aya’s body before becoming lodged in a telegraph pole.
Some say Aya was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but as prosecutor David Mclachlan said: “She was in the right place at the right time – she should have been able to go shopping without being shot.”
Lancashire Police officers started investigating the killing, which occurred in open daylight, and a chilling and complicated murder plan surfaced. Aya was not the intended victim but simply happened upon the scene of an assassination attempt that Sunday afternoon. The lethal bullet was aimed at Pachah Khan, the proprietor of Quick Shine Car Wash, and was the conclusion of a long-running dispute between Mr. Khan and the owners of the neighboring tire company R I Tyres.