Parents charged with murdering their daughter over suspected 'honour killing'
Seventeen-year-old Shafilea Ahmed went missing from her British home in September 2003 after complaining that her parents were forcing her into an arranged marriage.
Her body was found in February 2004, hidden near a river in northern England.
Nearly eight years later, her parents have been charged with her murder. It's believed the bright young student was the victim of an honour killing.
Taxi driver Iftikhar Ahmed, and his wife Farzana, were initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping their daughter in December 2003.
They were released without charge, the Crown Prosecution Service finding insufficient evidence against them.
The couple were arrested again in September 2010 but according to the Guardian newspaper, continued to deny any involvement with their daughter's murder.
Once, they even stormed into a police press conference to profess their innocence and claim the police were racially motivated.
Police originally investigating the disappearance found Shafilea had travelled to Pakistan on what she thought was a family holiday. While there, she found out she had been set up in an arranged marriage.
She reportedly drank bleach in an apparent suicide attempt however returned to the UK to continue studying.
Weeks after arriving home, she was reported missing by her teachers.
After her body was found, the coroner said: "Shafilea was the victim of a very vile murder and there’s no evidence before the court as to who did it. There are things people know that have not been told to this court."
According to the Daily Mail, the new claims have come about after the police received fresh evidence from Shafilea’s sister, Alisha, who was two years younger.
The 22-year-old made new claims about her parents were involved in her sister's disappearance.
The pair have now been remanded in custody until a hearing on Friday in Manchester crown court.
They have already appeared at a hearing in Cheshire where they confirmed through an interpreter their names, ages and address. They didn't enter a plea.
The court heard that the couple were charged with murdering the teenager on 11 September 2003 in Cheshire.
