Shafilea Ahmed death: Father says she lied about abuse

Shafilea Ahmed lied when she said she was beaten because she would not agree to a forced marriage, her father has told Chester Crown Court.

Iftikhar Ahmed, 52, said what was written on her application form for emergency accommodation was "not true".

Mr Ahmed and his wife Farzana Ahmed, 49, of Warrington, both deny murdering their 17-year-old daughter.

Shafilea disappeared in September 2003 and was found on the bank of the River Kent in Cumbria in February 2004.

Her application for accommodation was read to the jury by Andrew Edis QC, for the prosecution.

Under the heading 'Reasons for leaving home', Shafilea, whose 26th birthday would have taken place on Saturday, wrote: "Forced into arranged marriage in Pakistan."

Mr Edis said that under the heading 'Nature and incidents of violence', Shafilea wrote: "Regular incidents since I was 15 or 16. One parent would hold me while the other hit me.

"I was prevented from attending college and my part-time job. I'm scared of going back to my parents and frightened enough to flee my home."

Mr Edis said to taxi driver Mr Ahmed: "That's a tissue of lies, according to you, isn't it?"

The defendant said: "Yes."

The barrister continued with Shafilea's statement, in which she said: "There has been a build up to the violence towards me and my mother told me I was about to go to Pakistan for an arranged marriage and my mother had begun to pack.

"My parents had been into school and told my teachers I would be absent and going to Pakistan.

"My teachers have approached my parents in the past about preventing me from going to school and tried to get social services involved."

Mr Edis said: "Shafilea feared she was going to be married off, that's her perception isn't it?"

Mr Ahmed said: "We had no knowledge of this. This paperwork Shafilea filled in, what she's put down was not true."

The barrister continued: "Why would she want alternative accommodation from a loving and caring family home?"

Mr Ahmed replied: " If she did mention it [to us] we would have told her there was no such thing and when she did mention it we assured her there was no such thing."

The prosecution claims she was killed by her parents because she brought shame on the family by her desire to lead a westernised lifestyle.

The trial continues.