Shafilea Ahmed: Sister told friend 'My dad did it'

Shafilea Ahmed's sister told a family friend their father stabbed the 17-year-old and her body was "in pieces", a court heard.

Shafilea's parents Iftikhar, 52, and Farzana, 49, deny murdering the teenager by suffocating her at their home in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2003.

Sehreen Shafaat, 22, a close friend of the Ahmed children, said Alesha told her Mr Ahmed stabbed Shafilea.

She said Alesha she told her "My dad did it", Chester Crown Court heard.

Ms Shafaat, a trainee barrister, said she had known the family as a small child and after Shafilea's death became close to the Ahmeds' other daughters, Alesha and Mevish.

The court heard they attended the same college and she would frequently socialise or study with them at their home.

It was after one study session in December 2009 when Alesha turned to her and said the family "were not getting on".

She told the jury: "Alesha said there was no happiness and although the family looked happy on the outside, it wasn't happy on the inside."

She described Alesha as "upset" and "crying" and said: "And then she just came out with 'My dad did it'."

Miss Shafaat said she knew what Alesha was talking about and was shocked, replying: "What?"

"And she said, 'Yeah, my dad killed her'," Ms Shafaat went on.

"I asked if she was serious and how [it happened].

"I didn't mean to ask how but it just came out, I didn't know what to say."

Miss Shafaat said she couldn't remember the order in which things were said but told the jury Alesha said "something like", "My dad stabbed her and the body was all in pieces".

"During the conversation, she told me her dad had been violent in the past and she used the word 'strangle' but I can't remember if that was to do with the incident with Shafilea or something else."

She said Alesha had told her not to tell anyone what she had said and that she would take the information "to her grave".

Miss Shafaat said she put the information to the back of her mind and the first time she spoke of that conversation was during an interview with police.

"I wasn't expecting to ever have to repeat it," she said.

The prosecution allege Mr and Mrs Ahmed murdered their "Westernised" daughter because they believed her conduct was bringing shame on the family.

The trial continues.