Seven men have been found guilty of murdering a law student who was mistakenly gunned down in a botched drive-by shooting.

Tyre firm boss Feroz Suleman, 40, arranged the execution of a rival businessman in broad daylight but the gunman he hired instead shot dead innocent passer-by Aya Hachem.

The 19-year-old was said to be “in the wrong place at the wrong time” as the long-running feud between the neighbouring tyre companies culminated in Blackburn, on the afternoon of May 17 last year.

A Toyota Avensis driven by Anthony Ennis, 31, with hitman Zamir Raja, 33, on board drove past Quickshine Tyres on three occasions shortly before the fatal fourth journey.

Footage from CCTV cameras captured Suleman stood outside his premises next door at RI Tyres with a “ringside seat” to the shooting he had arranged of Pachah Khan, the proprietor of Quickshine Tyres.

The first shot hit the front window of Quickshine and the second was let off as Lebanese-born Miss Hachem walked by, hitting her rather than the intended target.

On Tuesday, a jury at Preston Crown Court took less than four hours to find Suleman, from Blackburn, guilty of murder and the attempted murder of Mr Khan.

Raja, of Stretford, Greater Manchester, and Ennis, of Partington, Greater Manchester, were also convicted of murder and attempted murder, as were other accomplices Kashif Manzoor, 26, of Blackburn, Ayaz Hussain, 35, of Blackburn, Abubakr Satia, 32, of Blackburn, and his brother Uthman Satia, 29, of Blackburn.

Uthman Satia’s girlfriend, Judy Chapman, 26, of Great Harwood, was cleared of murder and attempted murder but found guilty of manslaughter.