Shafilea Ahmed
Encyclopedia
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
seventeen-year-old from Great Sankey
Great Sankey
Great Sankey is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It is west of Warrington town centre. It has a population of 24,211.-History:...
, Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, who was murdered.
Background
Shafilea Ahmed was born in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. A student who wanted to become a lawyer, Ahmed swallowed bleach during a trip to Pakistan in 2003, in what was later reported to be a suicide attempt. Her father claimed that she drank it during a power cut, thinking it was a bottle of fruit juice. According to a wide range of media reports after her disappearance, Shafilea turned down a suitor in an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
during the trip, though her parents denied any attempts to pressure her into agreeing to the marriage
Forced marriage
Forced marriage is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties is married without his or her consent or against his or her will...
.
"Police then learned that shortly before her disappearance Shafilea had travelled to Pakistan where she rejected an arranged marriage partner and had swallowed bleach, badly scarring her throat - an injury which required constant medical attention when she returned home."
Shafilea disappeared on 11 September 2003, and had been missing for a week before her teachers informed the police. Subsequently, there was a major campaign to urge people who had any information to come forward. Actress Shobna Gulati
Shobna Gulati
Shobna Gulati is an English actress, writer, and dancer of Indian origin, best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies, and Sunita Alahan in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role to which she returned at the end of 2009...
was persuaded to front the media campaign, and read some of her poems on television.
"A nationwide hunt was launched but when Shafilea failed to seek treatment for her damaged throat detectives became convinced she had been murdered - possibly in an "honour killing" connected with her rejection of her Pakistani suitor." Det Chief Insp Gerraint Jones stated to The Mirror: "Her family say a suitor had been found for her in Pakistan but she was free to make her own decisions."
In February 2004, Ahmed's corpse was found in the River Kent
River Kent
The River Kent is a short river in the county of Cumbria in England. The river originates in hills surrounding Kentmere, and flows for around 20 miles into the north of Morecambe Bay. The Lake District National Park includes the upper reaches of the river within its boundaries.The river passes...
near Sedgwick
Sedgwick, Cumbria
Sedgwick is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, south of Kendal. Its main point of interest is Sedgwick House, built in 1868 by...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, in proximity to Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
(70 miles (112.7 km) away from Warrington). After heavy flooding in the area, police said the corpse was deliberately hidden; a gold "zigzag" bracelet and blue topaz ring found with the body were identified by her parents. Due to decomposition, the cause of death could not be determined by the coroner (Home Office pathologist Alison Armer) at post mortem, leaving the Police to believe that it had probably been there since the day she disappeared or not long after. Shafilea's body was also found to have been dismembered (a femur was found). Detective Sergeant Mike Foster stated at a hearing, "The pathologist could not determine the cause of death, but did say the body was that of a young female. Obviously, because of the condition of the body, she was unable to give any further findings."
A second post mortem ordered by South Lakeland Coroner Cyril Prickett was ordered http://archive.thisischeshire.co.uk/2004/3/30/153138.html, but failed to add anything further.
Inspector Mike Forrester of Cumbria Constabulary
Cumbria Constabulary
Cumbria Constabulary is the territorial police force in England covering Cumbria. It is currently the fifth-largest force in England and Wales in terms of geographic area but one of the smallest in terms of officer numbers. Given the force area's size and population of just under 500,000, it is...
at an inquest hearing stated
'"It was unclear whether all of Shafilea's body parts had been found."' He went on to state that '"DNA tests on the right thigh bone of the body found on the east bank of the River Kent made it a one in a billion chance that the remains were those of anyone other than Shafilea."' The lower jaw of the body found was also shown to Shafilea's dentist, who said he was 90 per cent sure that it was hers after examining dental work that had been carried out on it. Cited on http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/news/s/191/191151_a_fathers_tears_as_shafilea_laid_to_rest.html
Shafilea's parents, Iftikhar Ahmed, a taxi driver, and Farzana Ahmed, were released without charge after briefly having been arrested along with five other members of her extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
.
There were several poems written by Shafilea that interested the police in their investigations, notably the poem I feel trapped. The poem is said to reflect Shafilea's utter despair and emotional state, describing a hopeless life, a family that ignored her, and that she had run away from home several times in the past due to tensions with her family.
This was reported and cited from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=13641161%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
"She has been reported missing twice before and been found staying with friends."
The videos of the poems being read out on here http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/video/
Neighbour Sheila Costello was quoted "We heard they had an argument over an arranged marriage and that Shafi had run away. I hope nothing terrible has happened to her." Cited on
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=13641161%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
The investigation by Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an area of with a population of roughly 1 million.The Chief Constable of the...
into the murder of Shafilea remains ongoing and after three years has not established a suspect, although 8 members of her extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
are awaiting trial for conspiracy to pervert the course of justicehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/4688948.stm in relation to the case. There is still confusion regarding exact events of the trip she made to Pakistan.
On 7 September 2011, her parents Iftikhar Ahmed, 51, and Farzana Ahmed, 48, of Liverpool Road, Warrington, were charged with murder, Cheshire Police said. and are expected to stand trial for murder in 2011.
Inquest into death
In January 2008, the coronerCoroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
's inquest held that Shafilea was the victim of a "very vile murder", having been taken from her home. The verdict was unlawful killing.
Solicitor Milton Firman made an impassioned plea on behalf of the parents when they were first arrested and the police were intended to hold their Press Conference.
The police case remains open and they have "several suspects". Shafilea's family left the inquest without making any comment.
Subsequent to the inquest, Shafilea's parents attempted to have the verdict of unlawful killing overturned and replaced by an open verdict. Iftikhar Ahmed argued that the coroner's view was 'biased'. The attempt to overturn the unlawful killing verdict was unsuccessful.