SHAFILEA VERDICT: Parents guilty over death (From Asian Image)
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SHAFILEA VERDICT: Parents guilty over death
1:12pm Friday 3rd August 2012 in News
Parents guilty over death
A couple who killed their teenage daughter because they believed she had brought shame on the family were convicted of her murder today - nine years after the brutal killing.
Iftikhar Ahmed, 52, and his wife Farzana, 49, of Liverpool Road, Warrington, Cheshire, suffocated Shafilea, 17, with a plastic bag in 2003 in an apparent “honour killing”.
Shafilea’s sister Alesha told the jury at Chester Crown Court her parents pushed Shafilea onto the settee in their house and she heard her mother say “just finish it here” as they forced a plastic bag into the teenager’s mouth and killed her in front of their other children.
Iftikhar Ahmed stood impassively as the verdicts were given.
Mrs Ahmed wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue.
Their children Junyad, Mevish and the youngest, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all broke down in tears.
Mevish Ahmed put her head in her hands and wept as the judge began discussing sentencing.
Mr Justice Roderick Evans said he would pass sentence at 2.15pm today.
As Iftikhar Ahmed was taken down to the cells, he turned to police officers sitting nearby and said: “F*** off.”
Open_Mind says...
2:11pm Fri 3 Aug 12
Today’s guilty verdicts are to be welcomed and I hope the message goes out that if you engage in pushing your children towards forced marriges, you will be caught and brought to justice.