The brother of ringleader Feroz Suleman and the "boss of the shooter and driver" involved in the murder of Aya Hachem have appeared in court for their alleged involvement in her death.
Suhayl Suleman, 38, of Shear Brow in Blackburn, and Louis Otway, 42, of Clitheroe Road in Manchester, came before a jury at Preston Crown Court today (Tuesday, October 18) having each been charged earlier this year with the murder of the 19-year-old law student and the attempted murder of Pacha Khan.
Ms Hachem was walking home after buying food for her family when she was shot and killed outside Quick Shine on King Street in Blackburn on May 17, 2020, following a feud between them and RI Tyres which is next door.
Prosecutor David McLachlan said: "Aya Hachem had no connection whatsoever to Pacha Khan or his business or anybody else in this case.
"Some may say she is simply unlucky and was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"We say she was in the right place at the right time, going about lawful business, shopping for her family and she should have been able to do that without being shot."
The trial, which is set to last five weeks, follows a trial last year which saw seven men, Feroz Suleman, Zamir Raja, Anthony Ennis, Ayaz Hussain, Abubakr Satia, Uthman Satia and Kashif Manzoor found guilty of murder and attempted murder. Judy Chapman was found guilty of manslaughter.
Mr McLachlan continued: "They were the eight defendants in that case. These are the two defendants in this case which is your case.
“The prosecution case is the defendants in this trial played the following roles in the murder of Aya Hachem and the attempted murder of Pacha Khan.
"Suhayl Suleman, we say, organised and arranged the hit on Pacha Khan and was very much in a similar position to his brother Feroz Suleman.
"In relation to Louis Otway, the prosecution says he was involved in organising and arranging the shooting on May 17, he was the link between Ayaz Hussain and his boys, mainly the gunman Zamir Raja and the driver Anthony Ennis."
The prosecution says the feud between the two businesses started when Quick Shine started to sell tyres. The matter continued to get worse and in December 2019 someone set fire to RI Tyres.
Staff at RI Tyres, including Suhayl Suleman, were adamant that Pacha Khan was responsible for the blaze.
No suspects were identified but Feroz Suleman was adamant that it was Quick Shine tyres responsible for the fire.
The prosecutor says that Suhayl Suleman was also adamant it was their rival business that was responsible. At the start of 2020, Suleman travelled to Pakistan for several months.
On February 17 that year, a staff member from Quick Shine was said to be throwing objects at staff from RI Tyres, prompting Feroz Suleman to call the police.
Being told about this, Suhayl Suleman allegedly said in a text: “Feroz get these lot wasted now.”
More texts were shown that were sent in the following weeks and months.
In April 2020, there was a reference in a text about getting 'J's boys', which the prosecution says are Louis Otway’s 'boys' Zamir Raja and Anthony Ennis.
A reply to that text from Feroz read: "Not now, in a month or two." Aya Hachem was shot dead almost one month after the messages were sent.
In the days leading up to the shooting, Suhayl Suleman returned to the country, while Otway was allegedly tracked a number of times visiting Blackburn and speaking on the phone or by text with Zamir Raja, Anthony Ennis, Ayaz Hussain.
On May 10, seven days before the shooting, the jury was told about phone contact from a Tyler McKay with Louis Otway, who was at this point in Blackburn, which the prosecution claim is in fact Zamir Raja getting in contact with his 'boss'.
On the same day, Abubakr Satia bought the £300 Toyota Avensis which was used for the shooting.
On May 12, a video, allegedly taken by Otway shows him with his 'boys'.
Mr McLachlan added: "He has taken that video that shows Zamir Raja, later to be the gunman and Anthony Ennis the driver.
"That was taken five days before the shooting. You have ‘J’ and his boys."
On May 16, the day before the shooting, more phone contact was shown to the jury which the prosecution say is Otway speaking to his ‘boys’ and to Ayaz Hussain about completing a ‘trial run’ and the events of the following day.
There are also calls being made by those involved in the shooting, including Uthman Satia, to Suhayl Suleman.
On that evening, the prosecution showed the jury logs of alleged phone calls from Louis Otway with Ayaz Hussain and Anthony Ennis.
Louis Otway is then allegedly tracked leaving Manchester for Birmingham.
Mr McLachlan said: "He is trying to get out of harm's way because he knew full well what was going to happen the following day. He was instrumental in getting his boys on it, namely J's boys on it, for the shooting."
The next day, described by Mr McLachlan as being the most important in the case was May 17 - the day of the shooting.
On this day, the jury has been told that Otway returned from Birmingham to Manchester while making phone calls to Ayaz Hussain.
At 2.50pm, 10 minutes before the shooting, the prosecution says that Suhayl Suleman is at his home having just text his wife asking her to "wake him up at 3.15pm or 3.30pm".
Feroz is at the RI Tyre's King Street site. Kashif Manzoor was at the Wellington Road car park. Uthman Satia, Judy Chapman, Zamir Raja, Anthony Ennis, Ayaz Hussain and Abubakr Satia were on Jack Walker Way.
The prosecution alleges that Louis Otway was in Manchester.
The Avensis, with Ennis in the driver’s seat and Raja in the passenger seat with a gun, left Wellington Street Car Park at 2.57pm and drove past the two garages four times before two shots were fired.
One hit the glass front of Quick Shine and the second hit and killed Aya Hachem.
Mr McLachlan said: "All because of a feud between two tyre companies, she lost her life. She had nothing at all to do with it in the slightest."
Pacha Khan ran to Aya's aid but could not do much to help her and she died at the scene.
The Avensis returned to the car park on Wellington Road where police later located it.
Mr McLachlan said that everybody alleged to be involved went into a "state of panic".
He added: "The hit had gone horribly wrong. An innocent young woman had been shot and as a result of that she lost her life."
Jurors were shown a huge number of phone calls and messages sent between the eight who have already been jailed, with other calls being made to and from the accused Suleman and Otway. Otway allegedly travelled back to Birmingham at about 3.30pm.
Speaking about a call made by Raja, Mr McLachlan said: "At 3.49pm who does he call for two minutes? In the aftermath of a shooting that has gone terribly wrong in which he was the shooter, who does it call for two minutes? Louis Otway."
As Otway returned to Manchester, the prosecution claims there were a number of phone calls between him and Anthony Ennis, the driver of the Avensis, and allegedly one of Otway’s ‘boys’.
That evening, Suhayl Suleman arrived back at his home with Ayaz Hussain and Feroz Suleman let them into the house. Later that evening, more of those involved in the fatal shooting arrived at the address on Shear Brow.
On May 18, Suhayl Suleman arrived at another RI Tyres site on Burnley Road at about 4.40pm where there was a heavy police presence.
Call logs show he allegedly calls his brother Feroz and his other brother Nadeem Suleman before speaking to a Bradley Peacock who worked at the King Street garage.
He and his brother Feroz were both arrested by police. On May 19, Suhayl Suleman answered no comment to all questions from the police in the interview.
On May 20, the interviews continued, and Suhayl provided a prepared statement denying any involvement in the crime.
He then continued to answer no comment to other questions put to him on May 21.
While being questioned more of the group were being arrested by the police, with Raja and Ennis both leaving the country. Raja returned and was arrested in London while Ennis was arrested in Spain.
Louis Otway was then arrested by police. When confirming his name in police interview he said 'Junior Otway'.
He denied his involvement in the murder of Aya Hachem, saying he lived at Clitheroe Road in Longsight and had a girlfriend in Birmingham who he visited.
He also said that his friend Anthony Ennis may have stayed with him at some point in May or June.
He spoke about a good friendship with Ayaz Hussain, who he had known for about four years and he spoke to him several times a day. This was who he said told him there had been a murder.
Otway also told police that he may have changed a tyre at RI Tyres at some point in May.
He said he had links to Raja and said: "I have got that kind of love for him he will take my mum shopping when I'm not here". He said he had known Ennis since he was a kid.
When asked about the phone calls made around the time of the shooting, Otway said he was in contact with Hussain to "get weed" and that the contact made with him 40 minutes before the shooting was a "complete coincidence".
Mr McLachlan said: "The prosecution says a young girl is dead, she shouldn't be, she was 19 and had her whole life ahead of her.
"Rather than trading, rather than the purchase of weed after the frantic panic had set in
"It is the prosecution's case that both those men in the dock were involved in events on May 17 2020 and they each played their respective parts."
The trial continues.
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