Justice for Aya

Following today’s verdict in the Aya Hachem murder trial, we have issued the following statement.

Cllr Mohammed Khan CBE, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:

We have been incredibly saddened to hear the detail of what happened throughout the court case and our thoughts remain with Aya’s family and friends.

Whilst we hope that today’s verdict will bring Aya’s family some comfort, we know that this won’t bring her back or take away the pain and suffering they feel.

Aya came to Blackburn with big hopes and dreams, and made a very valuable contribution to local life. She was a credit to her family, her school and all who knew her.

I know that as a Council we did everything possible to support the family in the immediate aftermath of Aya’s murder. Our Chief Officer led the work with ARC, the Police, the Lebanese Embassy, Blackburn Muslim Burial Society and the Coroner to ensure that Aya’s family were able to take her body back to be buried in their home town in Lebanon.

In Blackburn with Darwen our community was united in our grief and sorrow for Aya and her family, and collectively condemned this abhorrent criminal activity.

Denise Park, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, added:

This tragedy has provoked a great deal of concern from many of our residents and all who knew and loved Aya.

We want our community to know that we will not tolerate this kind of serious crime or criminal behaviour, and no one should feel worried or threatened to go about their daily lives.

This was a very unusual and isolated incident, it is at the extreme end of criminal activity.

Gun and gang crime is taken extremely seriously and we are working hard with the police via our Community Safety team to support them, both in the context of this incident and the wider context of controlling gang activity.

I would urge anyone to contact the police about any concerns they may have relating to gang activity and criminal behaviours. Our residents are the eyes and ears of our neighbourhoods.

Together, we want to ensure nothing like this happens ever again in our borough.