SHAFILEA Ahmed was a British-Pakistani girl who was murdered by her parents, Iftikhar and Farzana, as they believed that she wanted to live a “western” life.
Her disappearance and death, which followed years of tragic abuse, will be examined in the ITV documentary Murder Without Honour.
Shafilea Ahmed was murdered by her parentsPA: Press Association
Iftikhar Ahmed and his wife said that they killed their daughter for wanting to live a ‘western’ lifeCheshire Police
Shafilea’s family life
Shafilea’s father Iftikhar Ahmed, was born in Pakistan but moved to the UK when he was 10 years old.
During a visit to Denmark, he met a woman named Vivi Lone Andersen who he later married in 1980.
The pair had a son together, named Tony, but Ahmed’s family disapproved of the union because Vivi had chosen to remain a Christian.
Eventually, Ahmed returned to Pakistan where he was forced into an arranged marriage with his cousin Farzana Ahmed in 1985.
After the ceremony, Ahmed persuaded Vivi to move to the UK with him but didn’t mention that he was already married.
Vivi filed for divorce and the pair lost contact until Ahmed phoned her to say that his second wife had given birth to a girl named Shalifea who was born on July 14, 1986.
Troubled upbringing
During her childhood, Shafilea suffered from child abuse.
One of her teachers spotted a bruise on her arm, which she said was from a “beating” by her parents.
In 2003, she ran away from home and told the council that “one parent would hold me whilst the other hit me”.
Furzana Ahmed and her husband were physically abusive to their daughterPA: Press Association
Shafilea also feared being taken to Pakistan and forced into a child marriage.
During a trip to her father’s home country in February that same year, Shafilea attempted suicide.
According to media reports at the time, she also turned down a suitor in a forced marriage during the trip.
Shafilea’s disappearance
Shafilea disappeared on September 11, 2003, and was missing for a week before her teachers informed the police.
Her remains were eventually found in February 2004, in the River Kent in Cumbria.
The police soon began to suspect that she may have been murdered by her parents, as part of an honour killing related to her rejecting the suitor in Pakistan.
Before news broke of her death, there was a nationwide search for ShafileaPA: Press Association
Shafilea‘s parents are exposed
Shafilea’s killers were discovered after her younger sister Alesha orchestrated a robbery targeting her parent’s house on August 25, 2010.
Alesha let the robbers into her family home, but didn’t realise that they were armed.
Her family was tied up and her sister was hit in the shoulder with a hammer.
Alesha had built up debt while studying to become a law student, shortly before the robbery took place.
Studying had put her at odds with her parents, making it almost impossible for her to turn to them for help.
She was arrested for her role in the robbery and made no effort to hide her involvement from her family.
Later in court, the judge said: “You actively helped the robbers.
“Your wrists were never taped.
“You told your family to do exactly what the robbers said.
“You had a mobile phone, but of course did not call the police.
“You had texted the robbers with instructions.
“You told the robbers how to get to the money and the jewellery that was taken, which your parents claim was of considerable value – £10,000, and then £30,000.
“The police are sceptical of those claims.”
Shafilea’s case was finally solved thanks to her sister AleshaPA: Press Association
The judge gave Alesha a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, as she eventually proved to be vital in catching the people behind Shafilea death: her parents.
He said that the lenient sentence was given in light of Alesha providing this evidence with no intention of easing her sentence.
He also described her case as “extraordinary”.
Alesha admitted that she saw her own parents murder Shafilea by suffocating her with a carrier bag.
She said that she was told “we all know what happens to disobedient girls” by her parents, after they murdered her sister.
Speaking in court, the judge recalled the information that Alesha had provided, which explained her parents’ sinister motives.
He said: “Your mother and father had justified what they had done, on the grounds that your sister Shafilea had western friends and wanted to live a western life, did not want an arranged marriage.
“After the killing, your brother quickly told you and your sisters that Shafilea had deserved it.”
He added that Alesha was forced to “carry this darkest of secrets” and was even “drawn into protecting them”.
Shafilea’s body was discovered in the River KentPA: Press Association
Shafilea’s parents were convicted of murdering their daughter, thanks to the evidence given by Alesha.
In court, Farzana turned against Iftikhar and tried to blame him for the murder but was found to have played an equal part in the killing.
The pair were eventually found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years on August 3, 2012.
A Murder Without Honour
Shafilea’s tragic murder will be examined in ITV’s A Murder Without Honour.
The hour-long episode will air on January 28, 2025.
Viewers who miss the show being broadcast can catch up on ITV’s streaming service ITVX.
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