Trial and Imprisonment of Parents
Ahmed's younger sister Alesha arranged a robbery that took place at her parents' house on 25 August 2010 during which she, her brother, sisters, and parents were in the house. She was arrested and told police that her parents had killed Shafilea. She told them that after trying to force the girl to accept the arranged marriage they were afraid her refusal would bring shame on the family. Her father put a plastic bag into her mouth and suffocated her to death. "Alesha, then saw their mother in the kitchen 'sorting through a pile of blankets and sheets' and holding a roll of black bin bags and two rolls of tape, the jury was told. 'After that had happened she looked out the window and saw her father with a large object wrapped in bin bags with brown tape around it.' Shortly afterwards, she saw her father leaving in a car with Shafilea's body – she assumed – inside."
On 7 September 2011, Cheshire Police announced that Shafilea's parents, Iftikhar Ahmed, 51, and Farzana Ahmed, 48, of Liverpool Road, Warrington, had been charged with her murder. Their trial began in May 2012, and on 3 August 2012 they were both found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.
After the trial police were said to be looking into the possibility that Shafilea's parents may have had help when they dumped her body in 2003, and that they were looking into new information revealed during the trial. The chief executive of Bradford Council for Mosques in August 2012 encouraged anybody knowing about the case to come forward, and said his group would help police.
Read more about this topic: Murder Of Shafilea Ahmed
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