Shafilea Ahmed was murdered by her parents for refusing arranged marriage. The sister’s testimony led to their conviction.
Two autopsies couldn’t find the cause. The death was ruled an unlawful killing at a 2008 inquest. Her sister’s actions became key when Alesha planned a burglary at home in 2010.
Police arrested Alesha for the burglary plan. This led to her parents’ arrest. In 2012, the court imprisoned them for life; Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed murdered Shafilea because she refused an arranged marriage. They saw her behavior as too Western, especially when it happened in Pakistan.
Shafilea lived with her family on Liverpool Road with Alesha and her brother. A police officer, Geraint Jones from Cheshire Police, called her bright and outgoing. She wanted to become a lawyer.
Police spoke to her parents after she vanished. Jones noticed their lack of emotion. “There was no love there,” he said. They downplayed her disappearance, claiming she ran off with a boy, as this wasn’t the first time.
Her family became very strict when Shafilea dated boys. Criminology professor Aisha Gill spoke about the abuse. Shafilea told friends and teachers about it, revealing both parents abused her. They controlled her entire life, according to Gill. They took her from school and locked her in her room to “teach her a lesson.”
Social workers knew she drank bleach after a Pakistan trip. The trip forced her into marriage. Her body was found in February 2003. Her parents denied any part in her death for years.
Nine years later, in 2012, they were jailed, each receiving at least 25 years. Alesha’s arrest was the turning point in connecting her to the 2010 robbery.
Alesha told police she watched her parents kill Shafilea and heard her mom say, “just finish it here.” They forced a bag in her mouth, killing her near her other children in 2012.
Patricia Jervis spoke after the trial. She worked for Warrington council. Jervis felt police and social workers failed Shafilea after she vanished.
Jervis said the children were withdrawn. They didn’t cooperate with the police and became very reserved at school. The kids were afraid of being next.
The parents didn’t report her missing and refused to cooperate with anyone. All the information came from social services. The parents showed no remorse or panic that their daughter vanished.
The judge spoke during sentencing. He said her heritage was understandable, but living separate from the country wasn’t; he called it cruel, destructive, and unrealistic.
Alesha avoided jail at her trial in November 2012. She got a suspended prison sentence for 12 months and two years after pleading guilty to robbery.
Judge Irwin spoke to Alesha and mentioned her safety. “Yours is an extraordinary story,” Irwin stated. Despite help, her future will be hard and may take time to find peace.