A man accused of murdering Aya Hachem said he did not lie to police but ‘held back information’ about when he was told the teenager had been shot.
Louis Otway, of Clitheroe Road, Manchester, admitted he told police in his interview he heard about the shooting on May 18, instead of the truth which was that within an hour of the bullet being fired the previous day, both Ayaz Hussain and Zamir Raja had called him.
Cross-examination of Louis Otway by the prosecution
Under cross-examination at Preston Crown Court today (November 1), David McLachlan KC asked: “As we move on, do we understand that you now say you knew on May 17 there had been a shooting involving a girl?”
Otway said: “Yes.”
Mr McLachlan asked: “When you say in interview that you found out the next day, was that right or wrong?”
Otway answered: “That was wrong, I was not trying to implicate myself [about cannabis dealing] or become a prosecution witness.”
READ MORE: Suhayl Suleman and Louis Otway on trial for murder
Mr McLachlan said: “Is that called a lie?”
Otway said: “No, it's called holding back information.”
Mr McLachlan had been asking Otway about whether his visits to Blackburn had been to arrange the shooting, but Otway denied this, saying on May 5, he travelled to Blackburn to pick up a courtesy car due to the one Hussain gave him having issues.
On May 9, Otway said he travelled to Blackburn to pick up cannabis and money owed from Hussain and the next day, he went back again to get the money he was not paid the day before.
Mr McLachlan also asked Otway about Raja and Anthony Ennis visiting Blackburn, asking if this was his ‘boys’ travelling to Blackburn to organise the shooting, which Otway denied.
Otway said when Raja visited Blackburn it was, to his knowledge, to buy cannabis or pay Ayaz Hussain for cannabis.
He said he did not know Raja and Ennis were in Blackburn on May 16, when the prosecution say a trial run of the drive-by happened.
Mr McLachlan said: “Are Raja and Ennis your boys?”
Otway replied: “No they are friends of mine.”
Mr McLachlan said: “Were you surprised when you found out they were involved in this?”
Otway said: “Yeah.”
Mr McLachlan asked: “Shocked?”
Otway replied: “Yeah.”
A call log shows Otway was the third person Hussain called after the shooting. Mr McLachlan asked Otway what was said on that call.
Otway said: “He asked me have I spoke to Zamir, he said there had been a shooting.
"Then he rang me back, he said there has been a shooting, he asked again if I had spoken to Zamir. He said that he didn't see it so couldn't tell me much.”
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After that, Zamir Raja called Otway. Mr McLachlan asked what that was about.
Otway said: “Zamir Raja contacted me, when Ayaz rang me he asked if I could get hold of Zamir, Zamir rang me saying sorry he's missed my calls.
“I asked if he had spoken to Hussain, he said he's a pr**k. Ennis pops in and says he's the pr**k he shot someone.
“Then I heard some arguing and the phone went dead.”
There were then more calls made by Otway to Ennis, Raja and Hussain, which he says was to ask about the shooting and get some more information.
Mr McLachlan asked again is Raja and Ennis were Otway's "boys", and he was their boss, and he got them in to carry out a shooting, which Otway repeatedly denied.
He added: “Shoot who? I don't know this person, I don't know the people. What do I gain? Why would I?”
Defence counsel, Alan Gardner KC, questions Louis Otway
Earlier in the day, Otway, 42, was being questioned by his counsel Alan Gardner KC, who asked Otway about a trip he made to Birmingham the night before the shooting.#
Otway said he was giving a friend, Thirza Asanga-Rae, a lift to help her get to London where she had business meetings the next day, then he was going to a house party before he was intending to go to his girlfriend’s house.
Otway said due to the car issues he was having on the way, they got to Birmingham late and he dropped Ms Asanga-Rae at a hotel and that he never made it to his girlfriend's and stayed at the party.
In the morning, Otway said he took Ms Asanga-Rae back to Manchester as she had missed her meetings, before deciding to come back to Birmingham to see his girlfriend who was angry he had not seen her.
While driving back to Manchester with Ms Asanga-Rae, Otway’s car continued to have issues and they ended up breaking down on the hard shoulder, with a call being made to BMW roadside assistance.
Mr Gardner asked Otway about calls he made at this time, in the hours before the shooting, with Otway saying calls to Ayaz Hussain would have been about his car troubles, while calls to Ennis and Raja were to find out where his house key was, as Ennis was living there at the time and Raja had visited the house the night before.
After getting back to Manchester, Otway was still calling Ennis and Raja, which he said was to find his house keys but he was unable to contact them.
Unable to get into his house, Otway said he went to Cheadle to pick up more cannabis before travelling to see his girlfriend.
Mr Gardner said: “The shooting has now taken place. As far as you are concerned Mr Otway, your phone remains around Cheadle until 3.28pm until you make your journey to Birmingham. What was your intention?”
Otway: “My intention is, because I was meant to see my girlfriend and I didn't the day before, I made my way down to Birmingham.”
Otway said when he got to Birmingham, he and his girlfriend kept fighting so he decided to go back to Manchester again later that day.
READ MORE: 'Hussain was a business partner and my weed dealer’ says man accused of murder
Throughout the afternoon after the shooting, Otway spoke to Hussain and Ennis, with Otway saying that Hussain and Ennis seemed to be panicking.
After the shooting, Ennis and Raja went to Spain, during which time Ennis called Otway.
Mr Gardner asked: “He is in Spain, you are talking to him. We know others have been arrested at this time including Ayaz.”
Otway said: “Yeah I told him.”
Otway stands trial alongside Suhayl Suleman, 38, of Shear Brow, Blackburn, brother of Feroz Suleman.
Otway and Suleman stand trial for the murder of Aya Hachem and the attempted murder of Pachah Khan, which they both deny.
The trial continues.
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