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[narrator] Every 90 seconds,
someone is reported missing.
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Many return to their families,
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but for others, something
has gone seriously wrong.
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A 17-year-old girl has disappeared.
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It was strange that she wasn't
appearing anywhere on CCTV.
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[narrator] It's a case
defined by a wall of silence.
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You just didn't talk about it anymore.
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If they speak out,
then they put themselves at risk.
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{\an8}[narrator] What happens in
the police investigation that follows?
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{\an8}[woman] The longer
the investigation went on,
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{\an8}the less chance
that she would be found alive.
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{\an8}[narrator] What happens
to the family at its heart?
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{\an8}There might have been tensions at home.
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Perhaps she had run away.
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She needed an escape.
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And for her, her escape
was, "I'm gonna drink bleach."
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[narrator reading]
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[somber music playing]
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Shafilea Ahmed's story is
almost identical to my story,
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{\an8}I have to say, growing up.
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{\an8}So this was me, you know, 39 years ago.
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{\an8}In the photos that we see of her,
she's just got a lovely smile.
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{\an8}She just comes across as
a beautiful young girl
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{\an8}with lots of promise ahead of her.
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She had a close circle of friends.
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She was very popular with her classmates.
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She was bright.
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Her ambition was to be a lawyer.
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She wanted to be a barrister.
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Shafilea was very ambitious.
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She talked about wanting
to go to university.
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{\an8}And those are all very
aspirational things,
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{\an8}and also things which unfortunately
horrified her parents.
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[Darshna] Her parents were originally
from Pakistan,
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from the Gujrat region.
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They had five children,
four girls and one boy.
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Shafilea was the eldest.
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Her dad had actually come
to the UK before her mum
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and he had settled here
and actually married a white lady
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and had a son with her.
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And he later entered an arranged marriage
with his cousin, Farzana.
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He went off to Pakistan, married again,
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came here with Farzana, and settled down.
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And we don't know how much he ever told
people of this previous former life.
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By all accounts he used
to go out drinking,
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he would go out to clubs,
he would go out to discos.
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Yet he kept all of this very quiet.
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It was so far removed from the life
that he built with Farzana
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and the life that he tried
to impose on his children.
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The father was insistent that, in short,
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{\an8}his daughter would live her life his way.
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{\an8}And if that wasn't acceptable
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then there would be repercussions.
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Shafilea had a westernized lifestyle.
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She went to a local school.
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She had friends who were not Muslims.
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There appeared to be a conflict.
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Her mother's attitude
to the way the family should behave
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was very much that of the way
a family would behave in rural Pakistan.
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She wanted to bring that sense of Pakistan
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and that culture here
to Warrington with her.
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[Shahin] There is a focus on
what other members of the community
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think of the family.
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There's a lot of emphasis
on the honor of the family.
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{\an8}And you have people in the community
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{\an8}that would call each other and say,
"Look at how your daughter dresses,
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{\an8}look at what she's doing,
look at who she's hanging around with."
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Things that can bring shame
are things like integrating.
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And I mean integrating,
even talking to white people,
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seen as "the other."
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My mother would say
that to me very clearly.
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Things like cutting your hair,
wearing makeup,
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going out with your mates,
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having a mobile phone, social networking.
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All these things can be
deemed as shameful behaviors.
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If you don't conform to
their expected level of behavior,
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you end up feeling that,
"Well, I must be a bad Muslim,"
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"I must be a bad Sikh,"
a bad daughter even.
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[Shahin] It's just a social phenomenon
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that people kind of
tie in with religion
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but really it's more a cultural thing.
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Whether people see that as
a positive or a negative,
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that's for them to decide.
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[Jasvinder] Being born in Britain,
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getting to a certain age in your life
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where you are told that
you're behaving too westernized,
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that you have to be really careful
about who you go out with, what you wear.
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And you're expected to
behave in a certain way
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because by the age of 11,
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you understand that that's shameful.
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She was interested in makeup, fashion,
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all the kind of things that young
teenage girls are interested in.
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And she had tried to express this.
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She had tried to wear clothes
that she wanted to wear,
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she was, you know, interested
in talking to boys,
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although her family
would never allow that.
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Shafilea did have relationships with boys.
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Obviously, you go to school with them,
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you get to know people,
and she was, texting them.
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But of course all of
that had to be hidden.
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It couldn't be on her mobile phone
in case her parents would check it.
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So that kind of aspect of her life
was very well-hidden.
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It was almost an uncomfortable feeling
being around the family,
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'cause they seemed to be very controlled
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over everything they said
or the conversations they had
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or what other family
members would be doing.
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She was reporting from a very young age,
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"Yeah, I am being abused
by my mother and father.
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My mother calls me a prostitute, a whore."
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She came to the attention
of Social Services
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because she had run away for the day.
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So all the time underneath
this sort of very respectable veneer
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there were hints that
things weren't quite right.
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[gentle music]
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[narrator] Shahin knows
two of Shafilea's sisters
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from going to the same mosque as children.
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There was physical beatings.
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There was a lot of
emotional abuse going on.
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There was a lot of isolation from Shafilea
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where she wouldn't be allowed
to sit with her siblings,
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where she'd be locked in
the room or even outside.
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When Shafilea was in the garden,
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they would try and pass food to her,
you know, without her mum seeing.
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Shafilea's siblings were aware
that the tension was increasing.
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They knew that her parents were becoming
more and more angry at her behavior.
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They were, you know, insisting
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on picking her up from
college, on bringing her home,
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checking what she was wearing,
checking what was in her bag.
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They didn't want her wearing makeup.
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She'd have to wipe it
off before she got home.
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So her siblings were witnessing
this day in, day out.
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A victim of honor abuse
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doesn't actually believe
they are being abused
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because they're conditioned
to believe this is normal.
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Believing that you're the perpetrator,
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that you're doing this to your family.
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And your family will make you feel that.
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Sometimes her parents kept her at home
until the bruises went down.
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But she did sometimes go
to school with bruises.
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Her reporting was very brave
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because Shafilea would have been taught,
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just like me, to be silent.
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That speaking outside of
the family is disrespectful.
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And, indeed, every time
she did speak outside the family,
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the risk to her escalated
in terms of the abuse towards her.
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Every day she had to go
back home to her parents,
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to the people who were
making her life such a misery.
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[Shahin] Shafilea wanted
to escape from home.
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Life for her just was absolute hell.
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Which is why she'd run away.
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They kind of set the bed up
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to look like Shafilea was still in bed,
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but they helped her get her stuff
out of the window and climb out.
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But she was made to feel guilty
and that's why she went back.
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The power of this concept called honor
keeps her oppressed.
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Our victim is deprived of any rights,
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freedom, or independence,
believing that is normal.
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And if that behavior is reinforced
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by you being told
this is part of your religion,
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your tradition, and your culture,
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you end up believing it even more.
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What they're defending
is what is normal to them
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because they've never
had a counter-narrative.
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And if somebody says,
"Well, what, you're marrying a stranger?"
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Or, "What, you're not allowed to go out
with white people or your mates?"
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They would say,
"Well, you don't understand
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because you're not from that
background and that culture."
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[Shahin] Yes, you're supposed to
teach them right from wrong,
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but it's not for you to
take away their freedom
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and their happiness and kind
of put them in this cage.
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It makes me really, really angry.
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[somber music]
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[Jasvinder] By the time she gets to
the age of 16 years old,
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there came a point where she's saying,
"They'll take me abroad
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"and they're gonna
force me into a marriage."
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So her reporting changed.
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Her life is mapped out for her.
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You know, it's dishonorable
to have ambition.
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Who do you think you are?
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You're thinking above
your own station here.
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You're getting married off.
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[tense music]
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[Helen] The family eventually decided
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that they would deal with her
by taking her to Pakistan.
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[narrator] 16-year-old, Shafilea Ahmed
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has been struggling to conform
to her parents' expectations.
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It seems they are determined
to bring her into line
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by going to extreme measures.
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{\an8}They arranged a family holiday to Pakistan
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{\an8}to attend the wedding of
a relative over there.
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The only way that her parents
could get her onto that plane
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is by giving her sleeping tablets.
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{\an8}And we think that Iftikhar
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{\an8}had been prescribed
sleeping tablets for insomnia.
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And then what he then did was
crush these up
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in some fruit juice
and give these to Shafilea.
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Shafilea was desperately
unhappy in Pakistan. She wanted to escape.
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Her mum and dad had her passport.
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Scared to death that
they might marry her off.
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The intention was always
that Shafilea would stay in Pakistan.
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There wasn't any intention
of bringing her back.
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{\an8}She's being punished,
she's being taught a lesson.
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{\an8}So she has no way out whatsoever.
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{\an8}You can't run out
of the front door in this village,
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because everybody will spot you
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and they'll send you straight back
to your house. There's nowhere to go.
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[dark introspective music]
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Her parents are there,
the family are around her.
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They'll all be thinking the same thing.
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"You bad human being, how dare
you do this to this family?"
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{\an8}And there was talks
of a marriage to one of her cousins.
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Shafilea, because of the way she behaved,
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the chances of marrying her off
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became more and more remote.
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Because within the community
in which they lived,
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she was regarded as a rebellious daughter.
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[Jasvinder] You end up feeling suicidal.
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And there are higher tendencies
for South Asian women in Britain
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aged between 16 to 24 years old
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to self-harm or have suicidal tendencies,
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which are three to four times higher
than the national average.
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She needed an escape.
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And for her, her escape was,
"I'm gonna drink bleach."
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"Because it's hopefully
gonna end all of this."
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It speaks to that isolation,
that "Where do I turn?"
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There's nowhere to go.
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[tense music]
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She's so desperate that she drank bleach
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because she didn't want to be married off
to somebody of her parents' choosing.
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She suffered huge injuries.
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She had to have hospital
treatment for this.
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She had severe burns
in her throat, in her esophagus.
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She can't be married off in Pakistan
because she's damaged goods at that point.
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After Shafilea had drank the bleach,
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her dad left her there
and came back to the UK.
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He cashed in her ticket
and asked for a refund.
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He got 250 pounds back for her ticket.
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And for a couple of months, he stayed here
whilst Shafilea was in Pakistan.
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Her injuries are so severe
that they can't adequately be dealt with
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by the Pakistani medical system.
241
00:12:17,403 --> 00:12:18,923
And so the family in Pakistan
242
00:12:19,003 --> 00:12:21,803
basically get in touch with Iftikhar
and say, you know,
243
00:12:21,883 --> 00:12:23,443
"You've got to take this girl home."
244
00:12:23,563 --> 00:12:26,443
All of her throat
was completely burnt from the bleach.
245
00:12:26,643 --> 00:12:29,043
She was very much skin and bones.
246
00:12:29,323 --> 00:12:32,243
It was only when Shafilea
was getting worse and worse
247
00:12:32,403 --> 00:12:35,243
that they were forced
to buy a return ticket.
248
00:12:35,723 --> 00:12:38,243
[Darshna] She has a hospital stay
for a number of weeks.
249
00:12:38,323 --> 00:12:40,283
Of course, the nurses,
all the medical staff,
250
00:12:40,363 --> 00:12:42,723
they all had questions,
"How on earth did you come to drink
251
00:12:42,883 --> 00:12:44,443
this bleach in Pakistan?"
252
00:12:44,603 --> 00:12:46,763
And the story was told that actually
253
00:12:46,923 --> 00:12:49,243
she drank it by accident
and she thought it was mouthwash.
254
00:12:49,323 --> 00:12:51,683
That was the story her
parents told everybody,
255
00:12:51,843 --> 00:12:54,963
and they made sure that
was the official story.
256
00:12:55,683 --> 00:12:58,963
Her parents sit around her bed,
day and night.
257
00:12:59,323 --> 00:13:02,523
To the health professionals,
what loving parents.
258
00:13:02,883 --> 00:13:05,163
In fact, what her
parents were trying to do
259
00:13:05,243 --> 00:13:06,763
was to sit there and guard her.
260
00:13:06,843 --> 00:13:09,723
One, she's not telling anybody
what happened in Pakistan,
261
00:13:09,803 --> 00:13:11,083
and she doesn't.
262
00:13:11,203 --> 00:13:13,483
And secondly, she's not
leaving without them.
263
00:13:13,563 --> 00:13:15,483
And she leaves with them.
264
00:13:16,963 --> 00:13:19,803
People were not seeing the parents
as perpetrators here,
265
00:13:20,043 --> 00:13:24,323
and that young girl is sent
back to her family home.
266
00:13:24,483 --> 00:13:26,403
The place that is unsafest.
267
00:13:28,403 --> 00:13:30,883
[Shahin] She wanted to go back to school
268
00:13:30,963 --> 00:13:32,803
and her parents wanted to stop that.
269
00:13:32,883 --> 00:13:35,243
So there were calls
being made from school.
270
00:13:35,323 --> 00:13:38,083
All her friends would come
and knock on for Shafilea.
271
00:13:38,283 --> 00:13:40,483
She wasn't allowed to have
any contact with them.
272
00:13:40,563 --> 00:13:42,243
She wasn't allowed a mobile phone.
273
00:13:42,403 --> 00:13:45,883
If people came to the door, they would
very quickly be told to go away.
274
00:13:46,243 --> 00:13:49,123
And she was just isolated
from that moment on.
275
00:13:50,283 --> 00:13:54,003
Her parents thought that
far from being subdued,
276
00:13:54,203 --> 00:13:58,243
she was returning to what they regarded
as her bad old ways.
277
00:13:58,323 --> 00:14:00,043
[dramatic music]
278
00:14:00,123 --> 00:14:02,163
[Darshna] Once again,
all the tension started.
279
00:14:02,283 --> 00:14:04,443
They wanted her to wear
traditional clothes.
280
00:14:04,523 --> 00:14:07,723
And so the arguments started
again, the abuse started again,
281
00:14:08,523 --> 00:14:11,843
until eventually in 2003,
she suddenly disappears.
282
00:14:16,323 --> 00:14:18,003
Shafilea had run away before.
283
00:14:18,203 --> 00:14:21,043
And so they simply told everybody
that she had run away again.
284
00:14:21,203 --> 00:14:24,443
Her best friend, Melissa,
notices that she's missing.
285
00:14:25,003 --> 00:14:27,083
School noticed that she's missing.
286
00:14:27,203 --> 00:14:29,003
Rumors were starting
to go around the school.
287
00:14:29,083 --> 00:14:31,483
People were starting to talk
about the fact that, you know,
288
00:14:31,563 --> 00:14:33,483
her parents had done something to her
289
00:14:33,563 --> 00:14:34,963
and that she'd never be seen again.
290
00:14:35,043 --> 00:14:37,043
[eerie music]
291
00:14:37,163 --> 00:14:40,003
A couple of times Shafilea's
sisters had gone to school
292
00:14:40,083 --> 00:14:44,163
and told her friends that
her parents had killed her.
293
00:14:45,163 --> 00:14:46,843
They had actually said this in school.
294
00:14:46,923 --> 00:14:48,443
But then they laughed it off, said,
295
00:14:48,523 --> 00:14:50,443
"We're joking,
we don't know where she is."
296
00:14:50,523 --> 00:14:52,363
It was the school who eventually reported
297
00:14:52,443 --> 00:14:54,323
that she was failing
to turn up for school.
298
00:14:54,403 --> 00:14:56,683
The fact that a teacher
had raised suspicions
299
00:14:56,763 --> 00:14:59,443
I think says a lot that the teacher
300
00:14:59,523 --> 00:15:02,283
has more of an interest
in Shafilea's welfare.
301
00:15:02,483 --> 00:15:06,923
And that led to
the police becoming involved
302
00:15:07,003 --> 00:15:10,363
in what was a missing person
inquiry to start with.
303
00:15:10,443 --> 00:15:12,123
{\an8}[suspenseful music]
304
00:15:12,203 --> 00:15:14,203
{\an8}The police had interviewed her parents,
305
00:15:14,523 --> 00:15:16,163
her teachers, her friends,
306
00:15:16,243 --> 00:15:18,123
tried to find out what
had happened to her.
307
00:15:18,803 --> 00:15:20,523
[Helen] They became more and more aware
308
00:15:20,603 --> 00:15:23,003
as they made inquiries of
her friends and her school
309
00:15:23,283 --> 00:15:28,283
that there had been issues
between Shafilea and her parents.
310
00:15:28,643 --> 00:15:31,043
They had started to look at CCTV footage.
311
00:15:31,203 --> 00:15:33,003
And what the police were
saying very early on
312
00:15:33,083 --> 00:15:36,203
{\an8}was that it was strange that she wasn't
appearing anywhere on CCTV.
313
00:15:36,883 --> 00:15:39,803
{\an8}It was simply as if she had
vanished without a trace.
314
00:15:42,043 --> 00:15:44,123
When I first got interested in the story,
315
00:15:44,403 --> 00:15:46,843
and I actually went and
knocked on the family's door
316
00:15:47,003 --> 00:15:48,643
and introduced myself to the family
317
00:15:48,723 --> 00:15:50,443
and asked them about Shafilea, you know,
318
00:15:50,603 --> 00:15:52,923
"Are you worried about her,
what's going on?"
319
00:15:53,483 --> 00:15:56,363
They said to me, "Well what was the point?
The police can't find her.
320
00:15:56,443 --> 00:15:59,003
"The police have just said to us,
'She's run away before,
321
00:15:59,083 --> 00:16:01,683
she's just run away again,
she'll come home eventually.'"
322
00:16:01,763 --> 00:16:04,443
They just simply shrugged their shoulders
and said, "Oh, well."
323
00:16:04,523 --> 00:16:06,203
Shafilea's father was asked the question.
324
00:16:06,283 --> 00:16:09,123
Now this is a strict Muslim man
325
00:16:09,203 --> 00:16:11,923
that we understand had raised
his daughter in this way.
326
00:16:12,603 --> 00:16:14,323
When he was asked the question,
327
00:16:14,403 --> 00:16:16,883
"Why didn't you report
your daughter missing?"
328
00:16:17,683 --> 00:16:21,443
His response, for me,
rang alarm bells immediately, which was,
329
00:16:21,603 --> 00:16:25,683
"Well I just thought that she was
at her boyfriend's house."
330
00:16:26,123 --> 00:16:28,563
If your daughter's
running around with a guy,
331
00:16:28,643 --> 00:16:31,523
it's just seen as a very shameful thing.
332
00:16:32,203 --> 00:16:34,083
[Jasvinder] Alarm bells just rang for me.
333
00:16:34,163 --> 00:16:36,523
You don't even look at a boy,
let alone date a boy.
334
00:16:37,283 --> 00:16:40,763
The family had said that perhaps
she had run away with her boyfriend,
335
00:16:40,843 --> 00:16:42,763
but they couldn't name that boyfriend.
336
00:16:43,243 --> 00:16:46,123
None of her friends knew that
she was planning to run away.
337
00:16:46,203 --> 00:16:48,443
This time she hadn't
said anything to anybody.
338
00:16:48,843 --> 00:16:50,963
It seemed that there was just no evidence
339
00:16:51,043 --> 00:16:52,643
that she had run away at all.
340
00:16:52,723 --> 00:16:55,203
[Shahin] That's kind of the story
341
00:16:55,283 --> 00:16:57,843
that the community believed in, actually.
342
00:16:58,083 --> 00:16:59,843
This is just Shafilea just running off,
343
00:16:59,923 --> 00:17:02,483
and, you know, disrespecting her family.
344
00:17:02,603 --> 00:17:06,362
[Darshna] They seemed less concerned
with the fact that Shafilea was missing
345
00:17:06,443 --> 00:17:09,203
and more concerned with how
people were portraying them.
346
00:17:09,763 --> 00:17:13,162
Partly, I feel, they felt
that because I was an Asian reporter
347
00:17:13,323 --> 00:17:16,923
that I would understand
their concerns about stereotyping,
348
00:17:17,162 --> 00:17:19,323
about the way that their story
was being portrayed.
349
00:17:19,683 --> 00:17:22,523
And that might be partly why
they let me into their home.
350
00:17:22,603 --> 00:17:24,003
[tense music]
351
00:17:24,402 --> 00:17:27,603
[Shahin]
The feeling was that Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed
352
00:17:27,683 --> 00:17:30,243
{\an8}were kind of the victims
of Shafilea's behavior.
353
00:17:30,483 --> 00:17:33,283
{\an8}Everybody just felt more sympathy
354
00:17:33,363 --> 00:17:35,523
towards Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed
in the community.
355
00:17:35,683 --> 00:17:38,563
So they kind of saw it as an invasion
356
00:17:38,723 --> 00:17:41,083
that the police were
asking all these questions,
357
00:17:41,163 --> 00:17:43,043
that there was all this media interest.
358
00:17:43,363 --> 00:17:45,883
{\an8}[narrator] Shafilea's parents'
version of events
359
00:17:46,203 --> 00:17:48,843
is not ringing true
with the Cheshire Police.
360
00:17:49,603 --> 00:17:52,083
The feeling was, amongst
the investigating officers,
361
00:17:52,243 --> 00:17:55,683
that they were not showing the concern
362
00:17:56,283 --> 00:18:01,923
that parents would normally
show in those circumstances.
363
00:18:02,603 --> 00:18:04,563
{\an8}They started to look at
Shafilea's bank accounts
364
00:18:04,643 --> 00:18:06,803
{\an8}and realized that she
hadn't withdrawn any money,
365
00:18:06,883 --> 00:18:08,123
{\an8}nothing had been touched.
366
00:18:08,203 --> 00:18:11,763
And so the police start to grow
increasingly suspicious about the family.
367
00:18:13,323 --> 00:18:16,523
[narrator] The Ahmeds are unhappy with
how their story is unfolding in public.
368
00:18:17,723 --> 00:18:20,963
The dad was very angry about the way
the press were writing about it.
369
00:18:21,123 --> 00:18:24,123
He seemed less angry about the fact
that his daughter was missing.
370
00:18:24,203 --> 00:18:25,563
And because they were so defiant
371
00:18:25,683 --> 00:18:28,123
in the face of the press
and in all of their interviews,
372
00:18:28,603 --> 00:18:33,883
I was always intrigued as to what exactly
their role had been in her disappearance.
373
00:18:34,123 --> 00:18:36,563
And I tried to keep
an open mind through it all.
374
00:18:36,763 --> 00:18:39,363
[narrator] Shafilea's parents
go on the offensive
375
00:18:39,443 --> 00:18:40,763
and hire a lawyer.
376
00:18:41,923 --> 00:18:45,563
The family approached me,
and they were obviously concerned,
377
00:18:45,643 --> 00:18:49,203
{\an8}as I understood it,
that their story wasn't being put,
378
00:18:49,283 --> 00:18:51,203
{\an8}the story was being distorted.
379
00:18:52,163 --> 00:18:57,643
They believed that they
were being labeled,
380
00:18:57,883 --> 00:19:01,083
even at that early stage,
as an honor killing.
381
00:19:01,163 --> 00:19:03,683
They believed it was racially motivated.
382
00:19:03,763 --> 00:19:06,963
There might've been tensions at home,
there might've been an unhappiness,
383
00:19:07,043 --> 00:19:08,243
and perhaps she had run away.
384
00:19:08,323 --> 00:19:10,923
Their account was put as succinctly
385
00:19:11,003 --> 00:19:13,203
and as fairly and as
transparently as possible,
386
00:19:13,483 --> 00:19:15,043
and that's exactly what we did.
387
00:19:15,803 --> 00:19:18,483
[narrator] With Shafilea's parents
pursuing their own agenda,
388
00:19:19,043 --> 00:19:21,323
police step up their investigation.
389
00:19:21,803 --> 00:19:24,243
[Helen] Police, when they're
investigating honor abuse cases,
390
00:19:24,323 --> 00:19:27,203
it's unlikely they're gonna get
evidence from within the family.
391
00:19:27,283 --> 00:19:29,203
So they have to think about other tactics,
392
00:19:29,683 --> 00:19:31,243
you know, covert tactics.
393
00:19:32,603 --> 00:19:35,523
Police had consent
394
00:19:35,763 --> 00:19:38,923
to put a covert listening device
into the family home.
395
00:19:39,123 --> 00:19:42,283
And they put a number of bugs
into the home and also Iftikhar's taxi.
396
00:19:42,403 --> 00:19:45,323
So on some of the recordings,
we hear Iftikhar saying
397
00:19:45,723 --> 00:19:47,643
that even if he had killed 40 people,
398
00:19:47,803 --> 00:19:51,043
the police couldn't prosecute him
unless there was evidence.
399
00:19:51,283 --> 00:19:54,363
And although you might think
that it sounds really incriminating,
400
00:19:54,443 --> 00:19:56,243
that in itself isn't evidence.
401
00:19:56,603 --> 00:19:59,883
[Helen] And they did hear
some very interesting conversations,
402
00:20:00,043 --> 00:20:03,403
but there was never an explicit admission.
403
00:20:03,523 --> 00:20:05,923
And it certainly wasn't enough
to charge the parents.
404
00:20:07,803 --> 00:20:12,443
Shafilea's investigation took a long time
405
00:20:12,563 --> 00:20:16,083
in terms of gathering evidence
and identifying potential suspects.
406
00:20:16,163 --> 00:20:20,203
[Helen] The longer the investigation
into the missing person went on
407
00:20:20,763 --> 00:20:23,363
the less chance that
they thought there would be
408
00:20:23,443 --> 00:20:24,923
that she would be found alive.
409
00:20:25,083 --> 00:20:27,083
[Darshna] As the weeks went on,
the coverage
410
00:20:27,163 --> 00:20:30,003
about Shafilea's disappearance
started to change.
411
00:20:30,083 --> 00:20:32,323
It went from being about a missing person
412
00:20:32,923 --> 00:20:35,643
to possibly about a girl
who had been killed.
413
00:20:36,243 --> 00:20:39,843
And headlines started to appear
about a so-called honor killing.
414
00:20:40,443 --> 00:20:42,203
And this is when the family
start to change,
415
00:20:42,323 --> 00:20:44,843
because we see them becoming
more and more defensive.
416
00:20:44,923 --> 00:20:46,483
They were so angry about the fact
417
00:20:46,563 --> 00:20:50,123
that they had been linked
somehow to Shafilea's death.
418
00:20:50,763 --> 00:20:52,963
[Milton] I did resent that at the time,
I have to say.
419
00:20:53,043 --> 00:20:57,243
I was very anxious,
as a Jewish person to be frank,
420
00:20:57,763 --> 00:21:00,083
that they were not tarred with that
421
00:21:00,523 --> 00:21:03,563
without proper investigation,
without proper proof of it.
422
00:21:03,723 --> 00:21:05,323
I didn't want to believe it
423
00:21:05,523 --> 00:21:08,443
because I didn't want
English people to believe
424
00:21:08,523 --> 00:21:12,203
that Asian people then
generally behave in that way.
425
00:21:12,363 --> 00:21:14,163
I say that from an ethnic point of view.
426
00:21:14,283 --> 00:21:19,803
I was desperately keen
to put their side of the story
427
00:21:19,963 --> 00:21:22,283
because I hoped that they
were telling the truth
428
00:21:22,363 --> 00:21:24,763
because I knew what
the repercussions were,
429
00:21:25,003 --> 00:21:28,963
that then those with racist tendencies
430
00:21:29,043 --> 00:21:30,923
would use that as their vehicle
431
00:21:31,043 --> 00:21:34,203
for then generalizing
and saying, "We told you so."
432
00:21:34,883 --> 00:21:36,803
The police started to
hold press conferences
433
00:21:36,883 --> 00:21:38,483
where they wouldn't invite the family.
434
00:21:38,563 --> 00:21:40,483
This seems to have been
a deliberate tactic,
435
00:21:40,563 --> 00:21:43,163
not consulting with the family
to appeal for information.
436
00:21:43,683 --> 00:21:45,603
On one occasion in a press conference,
437
00:21:45,843 --> 00:21:48,723
suddenly in bursts the family.
438
00:21:48,843 --> 00:21:51,603
{\an8}Iftikhar and Farzana marched
into that press conference.
439
00:21:51,683 --> 00:21:53,283
{\an8}Then all the cameras turned to them
440
00:21:53,403 --> 00:21:57,443
{\an8}and they basically accused
Cheshire Police of being racist.
441
00:21:58,483 --> 00:22:02,243
Now, it was absolutely
a shock to hear that.
442
00:22:02,403 --> 00:22:04,443
You know, it was a very unusual tactic.
443
00:22:04,563 --> 00:22:07,003
Police very quickly disappeared
from that press conference.
444
00:22:07,083 --> 00:22:10,083
What they're actually doing is using that
445
00:22:10,163 --> 00:22:12,483
in order to put Cheshire Police
on the back foot.
446
00:22:14,163 --> 00:22:16,363
I do not like racism of any sort.
447
00:22:16,443 --> 00:22:19,963
And this was potentially a vehicle
448
00:22:20,083 --> 00:22:21,963
for people to express that.
449
00:22:22,083 --> 00:22:26,003
And their solicitor gave
a very combative press statement
450
00:22:26,123 --> 00:22:28,643
where he accused
the police of Islamophobia,
451
00:22:28,843 --> 00:22:31,203
he accused them of racial stereotyping.
452
00:22:31,403 --> 00:22:33,523
He said that the parents
were extremely angry
453
00:22:33,643 --> 00:22:35,963
at the way that suspicion
had fallen on them.
454
00:22:36,323 --> 00:22:39,723
I, in a sense wrongly I think,
455
00:22:39,803 --> 00:22:43,883
I saw it as a campaign, really,
as well as defending them.
456
00:22:44,003 --> 00:22:46,403
It was very close
to my heart in that sense.
457
00:22:46,843 --> 00:22:50,723
[Jasvinder] They were trying
to hide behind culture and race,
458
00:22:51,083 --> 00:22:53,683
and we hear this all the time in cases.
459
00:22:54,083 --> 00:22:57,443
And this is where professionals
are feeling really concerned
460
00:22:57,523 --> 00:22:58,843
about being called a racist.
461
00:22:58,963 --> 00:23:00,403
And then they get more concerned
462
00:23:00,523 --> 00:23:02,843
about not wanting to
tread on cultural toes.
463
00:23:04,163 --> 00:23:06,203
It seemed now
that there were open hostilities
464
00:23:06,283 --> 00:23:08,083
between the police and the family.
465
00:23:08,323 --> 00:23:10,043
You know, without naming them publicly,
466
00:23:10,163 --> 00:23:12,883
the police made it very clear
that they felt she had been murdered.
467
00:23:12,963 --> 00:23:16,363
This is now what people believed
had happened to Shafilea Ahmed.
468
00:23:16,643 --> 00:23:18,563
[tense music]
469
00:23:19,003 --> 00:23:20,523
[narrator] It's 2004.
470
00:23:20,643 --> 00:23:24,923
16-year-old schoolgirl Shafilea Ahmed
disappeared five months ago
471
00:23:25,283 --> 00:23:28,403
and the police investigations
have drawn a blank.
472
00:23:28,723 --> 00:23:30,203
Finally, there's a discovery
473
00:23:30,403 --> 00:23:32,363
which breaks the case wide open.
474
00:23:33,403 --> 00:23:35,643
{\an8}Five months after Shafilea went missing,
475
00:23:35,723 --> 00:23:37,923
{\an8}up in Cumbria in the Lake District,
476
00:23:38,203 --> 00:23:40,083
a couple of workmen came across a body
477
00:23:40,163 --> 00:23:41,523
that had been washed up.
478
00:23:41,603 --> 00:23:44,323
[melancholic music]
479
00:23:44,443 --> 00:23:45,923
There'd been flooding in the area.
480
00:23:46,483 --> 00:23:48,563
{\an8}The remains had obviously
been there for some time
481
00:23:48,643 --> 00:23:50,483
{\an8}and so the body was decomposed.
482
00:23:51,003 --> 00:23:54,763
Investigations to identify
the body took place.
483
00:23:54,843 --> 00:23:56,603
And obviously there was
forensic examination,
484
00:23:56,883 --> 00:23:59,963
DNA comparisons, and it was
confirmed to be Shafilea.
485
00:24:05,723 --> 00:24:07,643
Circumstances in which the body was found
486
00:24:07,763 --> 00:24:10,363
indicated that she had been murdered.
487
00:24:10,523 --> 00:24:12,243
So this was no longer a missing inquiry,
488
00:24:12,403 --> 00:24:14,123
this was now a murder inquiry.
489
00:24:17,843 --> 00:24:21,163
[Helen] A body is not dumped
over a wall in the Lake District
490
00:24:21,323 --> 00:24:26,323
if the circumstances in which that person
met their death are not suspicious.
491
00:24:29,163 --> 00:24:32,243
The flood waters had dislodged
certain parts of the body,
492
00:24:32,323 --> 00:24:36,203
so it was not all together
in the same place.
493
00:24:38,003 --> 00:24:40,443
Very distressing for all involved.
494
00:24:41,803 --> 00:24:44,563
Forensically, there was nothing
that the remains could tell us
495
00:24:44,643 --> 00:24:46,243
about how she was killed.
496
00:24:46,363 --> 00:24:48,963
There were no obvious broken bones.
497
00:24:49,683 --> 00:24:52,843
No obvious injuries to the skull.
498
00:24:53,483 --> 00:24:56,123
And so the speculation
499
00:24:56,643 --> 00:24:59,683
was that the most likely cause of death
500
00:24:59,883 --> 00:25:02,803
would be either
strangulation or suffocation.
501
00:25:02,883 --> 00:25:04,923
[intriguing music]
502
00:25:08,683 --> 00:25:13,923
{\an8}When Shafilea's body was
found, it changed everything.
503
00:25:15,003 --> 00:25:18,363
The way her body was found,
it was in a really, really horrible way.
504
00:25:18,443 --> 00:25:22,443
And that she must have had
a really horrible death.
505
00:25:23,523 --> 00:25:26,363
It really upset me that
somebody in the community
506
00:25:26,443 --> 00:25:30,483
had died, and died in
such a horrific manner.
507
00:25:32,643 --> 00:25:34,803
[Helen] So they arrested the parents
508
00:25:34,923 --> 00:25:37,163
on suspicion of murder
and interviewed them.
509
00:25:37,243 --> 00:25:38,403
But at that point,
510
00:25:38,563 --> 00:25:40,723
there was insufficient
evidence to charge them.
511
00:25:40,803 --> 00:25:43,203
So they were released on bail
512
00:25:43,283 --> 00:25:45,923
pending a continuation
of the investigation.
513
00:25:46,003 --> 00:25:47,523
[tense music]
514
00:25:47,803 --> 00:25:51,003
The Crown Prosecution Service
and a QC leading counsel
515
00:25:51,683 --> 00:25:56,843
expressed the view that evidence would
become available in the future
516
00:25:56,923 --> 00:26:00,323
if one of the family
was prepared to break ranks
517
00:26:00,723 --> 00:26:03,683
and tell the truth
about what had happened.
518
00:26:04,963 --> 00:26:07,043
[Jasvinder]
Here is a family that shut down.
519
00:26:08,323 --> 00:26:10,163
The community shut down.
520
00:26:10,483 --> 00:26:13,883
The wall of silence comes up
from family and community
521
00:26:14,123 --> 00:26:17,083
because they will collude,
they will conspire.
522
00:26:17,283 --> 00:26:20,283
Witness intimidation in these cases
is very, very high.
523
00:26:21,683 --> 00:26:24,923
Families will come together
and they will decide
524
00:26:25,283 --> 00:26:29,323
{\an8}how they're going to deal with
the person who's dishonored the family,
525
00:26:29,563 --> 00:26:32,043
{\an8}in this case it was
murder for Shafilea Ahmed.
526
00:26:32,363 --> 00:26:36,683
{\an8}But then, after that, they will
collude again and conspire,
527
00:26:36,883 --> 00:26:40,243
"How are we going to keep
the professionals on the outside?"
528
00:26:41,123 --> 00:26:44,083
And they will all have been told
how to do that.
529
00:26:44,283 --> 00:26:47,283
So the police are up against that silence.
530
00:26:48,323 --> 00:26:50,363
[Darshna] Shafilea's brothers and sisters
531
00:26:50,483 --> 00:26:54,643
are giving the police the same story
as Farzana and Iftikhar, her parents.
532
00:26:54,763 --> 00:26:58,203
They're all saying that Shafilea ran away
from home as far as they know,
533
00:26:58,563 --> 00:27:01,643
that they didn't see anything
else happen to Shafilea,
534
00:27:01,723 --> 00:27:05,003
and that's what they believe. And that's
what they're telling the police.
535
00:27:05,203 --> 00:27:08,203
Lack of cooperation from family members,
from community members.
536
00:27:08,283 --> 00:27:10,763
Nobody saw anything, nobody
heard anything, et cetera.
537
00:27:11,243 --> 00:27:14,883
So building a case on the basis of that
is very difficult to do.
538
00:27:16,043 --> 00:27:19,883
I first heard about
Shafilea's body being found
539
00:27:19,963 --> 00:27:21,603
through the news, like most people.
540
00:27:21,683 --> 00:27:25,763
And what I felt angry about was,
541
00:27:26,283 --> 00:27:29,283
where were the people in the community
coming out to say this was wrong?
542
00:27:29,683 --> 00:27:34,003
[Shahin] Whoever had thoughts
on Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed's involvement,
543
00:27:34,083 --> 00:27:35,483
they wouldn't voice them.
544
00:27:36,123 --> 00:27:38,843
The only thing that really changed
in the community is
545
00:27:38,923 --> 00:27:40,883
that you just didn't
talk about it anymore.
546
00:27:41,843 --> 00:27:43,443
Where's the religious leader?
547
00:27:43,843 --> 00:27:45,723
I didn't hear them and I didn't see them.
548
00:27:46,563 --> 00:27:49,763
None, nobody, which is why
it was important for us
549
00:27:49,923 --> 00:27:51,403
to come out and speak.
550
00:27:51,763 --> 00:27:54,843
It was never about the family
and how they felt they were victims
551
00:27:54,923 --> 00:27:57,883
of the police or the whole process,
552
00:27:57,963 --> 00:28:00,283
it's just, you have to
remember who it's about
553
00:28:00,363 --> 00:28:01,683
and it's about Shafilea.
554
00:28:02,923 --> 00:28:07,203
[narrator] Shafilea's funeral
takes place in August, 2004.
555
00:28:07,763 --> 00:28:12,163
It is well-attended by family,
friends, and the local community.
556
00:28:12,763 --> 00:28:15,443
They knew it could have been the parents.
557
00:28:15,523 --> 00:28:18,843
They didn't say that,
I didn't hear that loud enough.
558
00:28:19,883 --> 00:28:23,603
{\an8}There was no outcry
in that Muslim community.
559
00:28:24,803 --> 00:28:26,723
{\an8}Here is an opportunity
for you to reinforce
560
00:28:26,803 --> 00:28:28,563
{\an8}that this is not part of religion.
561
00:28:29,163 --> 00:28:31,523
You know, it's not part of
one's traditional culture.
562
00:28:31,603 --> 00:28:33,323
This is abuse.
563
00:28:33,443 --> 00:28:38,283
In fact, all their silence did
was reinforce the message
564
00:28:38,603 --> 00:28:42,923
that if you behave like Shafilea,
you should know better.
565
00:28:44,243 --> 00:28:47,123
So thankfully Cheshire Police
continued their investigation
566
00:28:47,763 --> 00:28:51,123
and throughout the number of years
we continued to keep
567
00:28:51,203 --> 00:28:54,123
Shafilea Ahmed's face
in the public domain as a charity.
568
00:28:54,243 --> 00:28:55,603
That was important.
569
00:28:56,323 --> 00:28:59,603
[narrator] Over time,
the truth about Shafilea's abuse
570
00:28:59,803 --> 00:29:03,243
becomes an unbearable burden
for one of her sisters.
571
00:29:04,523 --> 00:29:07,243
[Shahin] For one reason or another,
she had started opening up to me
572
00:29:07,323 --> 00:29:10,123
about when Shafilea
would be locked outside.
573
00:29:10,363 --> 00:29:13,923
She was telling me about how Shafilea
would quite often be beaten up,
574
00:29:14,043 --> 00:29:15,923
how Shafilea wasn't
allowed to do anything.
575
00:29:17,243 --> 00:29:21,843
And then it became clear to me actually
just what life was like at home.
576
00:29:22,723 --> 00:29:25,323
She'd had a very similar life
to what Shafilea did
577
00:29:25,443 --> 00:29:27,403
in terms of everything was controlled.
578
00:29:27,603 --> 00:29:31,763
She would, you know, be watched
if she went outside of the house.
579
00:29:31,883 --> 00:29:34,523
Her mobile phone would be
controlled late at night.
580
00:29:35,643 --> 00:29:38,363
The one thing I really understood was
this girl needs help.
581
00:29:38,443 --> 00:29:40,043
This girl really needs to get away.
582
00:29:40,203 --> 00:29:44,443
And that was always the underlying,
you know, tone of all the conversations,
583
00:29:44,523 --> 00:29:45,843
all the discussions that we had
584
00:29:45,923 --> 00:29:47,923
is that ultimately
she needed to understand
585
00:29:48,003 --> 00:29:49,443
that she can't live like that.
586
00:29:50,043 --> 00:29:51,323
[tense music]
587
00:29:52,003 --> 00:29:55,283
We didn't have this friendship
588
00:29:55,403 --> 00:29:59,723
where you have all these great memories
for things that you did together.
589
00:29:59,923 --> 00:30:01,483
Our friendship was based on the fact
590
00:30:01,723 --> 00:30:04,683
that she opened up to me about
things that went on at home.
591
00:30:04,963 --> 00:30:06,963
And I was kind of the person
she would turn to
592
00:30:07,483 --> 00:30:08,763
when things got really bad.
593
00:30:08,923 --> 00:30:14,603
Siblings watching this behavior
of parents punishing one of their sisters
594
00:30:15,003 --> 00:30:16,803
is a very difficult position for them,
595
00:30:17,323 --> 00:30:20,563
because if they speak out,
then they put themselves at risk.
596
00:30:20,803 --> 00:30:23,043
She had a genuine fear for her life.
597
00:30:23,283 --> 00:30:26,563
[Shahin] We were always afraid
that something would happen to her,
598
00:30:26,763 --> 00:30:29,483
or if her mum and dad had found out
about her speaking to me
599
00:30:29,563 --> 00:30:31,683
that actually it would be both of us
600
00:30:31,883 --> 00:30:33,923
in a situation where
something might happen.
601
00:30:34,003 --> 00:30:35,083
We believed that.
602
00:30:35,523 --> 00:30:36,843
[suspenseful music]
603
00:30:38,043 --> 00:30:41,363
[Darshna] Over the next few years,
things seemed to quieten down.
604
00:30:41,523 --> 00:30:43,083
There's no new evidence.
605
00:30:43,523 --> 00:30:48,003
There was an inquest, five years
after Shafilea had died, in 2008.
606
00:30:48,243 --> 00:30:51,323
And the coroner concluded
that he believed she had been murdered
607
00:30:51,563 --> 00:30:53,803
in the most vile circumstances possible.
608
00:30:53,883 --> 00:30:56,243
And he all but pointed
the finger at the family.
609
00:30:56,723 --> 00:30:58,443
And what's astonishing here, again,
610
00:30:58,523 --> 00:31:00,883
is that instead of just
keeping his head down,
611
00:31:00,963 --> 00:31:02,243
Iftikhar challenges this.
612
00:31:02,323 --> 00:31:04,243
You know, he tried to
take the coroner to court,
613
00:31:04,363 --> 00:31:08,363
he tried to bring out a judicial review
against the coroner's findings.
614
00:31:14,523 --> 00:31:16,443
[tense music]
615
00:31:20,003 --> 00:31:22,083
Iftikhar and Farzana came to believe
616
00:31:22,163 --> 00:31:24,723
that they had got away with
murdering their own daughter.
617
00:31:24,803 --> 00:31:28,003
You know, the police investigation
didn't seem to be going anywhere.
618
00:31:28,083 --> 00:31:30,523
There was less and less
press coverage about this.
619
00:31:31,123 --> 00:31:34,243
But then something strange
happened in 2010.
620
00:31:35,483 --> 00:31:38,283
[narrator] It's seven years
after Shafilea disappeared.
621
00:31:38,523 --> 00:31:43,363
Could a bizarre sequence of events
produce the breakthrough in this case?
622
00:31:44,883 --> 00:31:47,163
There was an armed robbery
at the family home.
623
00:31:47,323 --> 00:31:49,963
Some people had broken into
the home, tied up the parents,
624
00:31:50,043 --> 00:31:52,683
and robbed them of jewelry
and a large amount of cash.
625
00:31:52,963 --> 00:31:55,883
Three males had turned up at the house
626
00:31:55,963 --> 00:31:58,523
and were carrying
what appeared to be a gun.
627
00:31:58,723 --> 00:32:00,803
[Darshna] And I was astonished
when they said to me,
628
00:32:01,003 --> 00:32:03,203
"We believe it was her sister's friends,"
629
00:32:03,283 --> 00:32:06,243
Shafilea's younger sister.
And so I asked them
630
00:32:06,483 --> 00:32:08,603
"What, you mean
your own daughter robbed you?"
631
00:32:08,683 --> 00:32:10,603
[suspenseful music]
632
00:32:11,403 --> 00:32:14,563
[narrator] The parents of
murdered teenager Shafilea Ahmed
633
00:32:14,923 --> 00:32:18,163
have accused their second daughter
of robbing them.
634
00:32:18,483 --> 00:32:21,923
[Darshna] They believed she herself had
orchestrated that robbery at their home.
635
00:32:22,083 --> 00:32:23,723
They started telling me about the fact
636
00:32:23,843 --> 00:32:26,963
{\an8}that she had fallen in with a bad crowd,
which struck me as very odd
637
00:32:27,043 --> 00:32:30,043
{\an8}because this is exactly what they
used to say to me about Shafilea.
638
00:32:30,163 --> 00:32:31,363
{\an8}She was arrested.
639
00:32:31,483 --> 00:32:34,243
{\an8}It was during the course of
that interview that she asked
640
00:32:34,363 --> 00:32:37,443
{\an8}to speak to police officers
about another matter.
641
00:32:39,443 --> 00:32:41,483
For years her family
had been saying to her
642
00:32:41,603 --> 00:32:43,643
to keep her mouth shut,
not to tell anybody.
643
00:32:43,723 --> 00:32:45,163
They'd been threatening her.
644
00:32:45,363 --> 00:32:47,363
And in the end it was
just too much, you know,
645
00:32:47,483 --> 00:32:50,443
any girl to live with this
when you're just 16 years old.
646
00:32:50,763 --> 00:32:55,003
And she indicated then
that she was prepared to talk to them
647
00:32:55,283 --> 00:32:57,883
about what had happened
to her sister, Shafilea.
648
00:32:58,763 --> 00:33:01,683
She was the first member of
the family to break ranks.
649
00:33:02,763 --> 00:33:06,483
{\an8}Yeah, there was a real internal struggle
going on for her.
650
00:33:07,003 --> 00:33:09,443
That ultimately, that struggle,
651
00:33:09,523 --> 00:33:12,923
led to her telling the truth
about what she had witnessed.
652
00:33:13,083 --> 00:33:15,003
[Darshna] That's when everything came out.
653
00:33:15,083 --> 00:33:16,883
She told a very distressing story
654
00:33:16,963 --> 00:33:20,763
{\an8}about what happened in their home
the night Shafilea was killed.
655
00:33:21,523 --> 00:33:25,443
{\an8}She made a statement,
a very detailed account
656
00:33:25,523 --> 00:33:29,083
of the circumstances in which her parent
had killed her sister, Shafilea.
657
00:33:30,403 --> 00:33:33,563
This was what they had been waiting for
all of these years.
658
00:33:33,683 --> 00:33:35,643
The police had the evidence
that they needed
659
00:33:35,843 --> 00:33:37,603
to charge their parents with murder.
660
00:33:38,683 --> 00:33:42,563
[Helen] It was not entirely clear,
right up to the first day of the trial,
661
00:33:42,763 --> 00:33:45,483
whether she would actually
open her mouth and say anything.
662
00:33:45,563 --> 00:33:46,843
But she did.
663
00:33:46,963 --> 00:33:48,883
She was a key prosecution witness.
664
00:33:49,203 --> 00:33:54,083
She took the stand
and she gave testimony to Shafilea's life.
665
00:33:54,843 --> 00:33:57,363
[Helen] She was screened from her parents.
666
00:33:57,723 --> 00:33:59,083
The jury could see her.
667
00:33:59,243 --> 00:34:02,643
They were absolutely gripped
by what she was saying.
668
00:34:04,163 --> 00:34:08,163
She gave an account of how her mother
had gone to collect Shafilea
669
00:34:08,363 --> 00:34:10,963
from her part-time job in a call center.
670
00:34:11,523 --> 00:34:14,003
Shafilea was apparently wearing
a short-sleeved T-shirt,
671
00:34:14,123 --> 00:34:17,003
was showing her arms,
and this had upset her mother.
672
00:34:17,242 --> 00:34:20,282
[Darshna] The mum had told her off,
had called her names, had said,
673
00:34:20,403 --> 00:34:22,003
"How dare you wear such clothes?"
674
00:34:22,363 --> 00:34:24,603
When they got home,
that argument continued.
675
00:34:24,762 --> 00:34:26,762
Iftikhar, the dad, had got involved.
676
00:34:27,603 --> 00:34:32,003
Farzana suddenly decided
that she'd had enough.
677
00:34:32,483 --> 00:34:36,282
And she said words to the effect
of, "Let's finish it here."
678
00:34:38,722 --> 00:34:41,722
She described how Shafilea was held down
679
00:34:41,963 --> 00:34:43,843
by her parents on a sofa.
680
00:34:44,923 --> 00:34:47,523
A plastic bag was stuffed into her mouth.
681
00:34:48,443 --> 00:34:53,083
They put their hands
over her mouth and nose,
682
00:34:53,163 --> 00:34:55,083
so she was effectively being suffocated.
683
00:34:56,282 --> 00:34:59,363
And the children, who were all present,
684
00:34:59,843 --> 00:35:04,483
watched their parents kill their sister.
685
00:35:08,643 --> 00:35:12,323
She described in great detail
how Shafilea kicked her legs
686
00:35:12,843 --> 00:35:16,243
and how actually as
she was losing control,
687
00:35:17,283 --> 00:35:19,043
she urinated on the sofa.
688
00:35:21,243 --> 00:35:25,323
And just the detail of
how she saw her sister die
689
00:35:25,403 --> 00:35:28,843
was so compelling that it was quite clear
690
00:35:28,923 --> 00:35:31,603
she was telling the truth
about what she'd seen.
691
00:35:33,123 --> 00:35:35,523
It was obvious in court
listening to the evidence
692
00:35:35,603 --> 00:35:39,163
that Shafilea's death had
a huge impact on her brothers and sisters
693
00:35:39,283 --> 00:35:41,043
and it was extremely harrowing for them.
694
00:35:41,123 --> 00:35:42,963
They had to live with this terrible burden
695
00:35:43,123 --> 00:35:45,443
and this terrible guilt
of what they had witnessed.
696
00:35:46,603 --> 00:35:47,923
They would have been given
697
00:35:48,083 --> 00:35:50,323
a message in witnessing that murder.
698
00:35:50,483 --> 00:35:53,243
One, you don't tell anybody what you saw.
699
00:35:53,763 --> 00:35:57,083
Two, if you do, this is
what will happen to you.
700
00:36:00,083 --> 00:36:04,243
She was offered
protection from her family.
701
00:36:04,683 --> 00:36:06,203
[tense music]
702
00:36:07,723 --> 00:36:11,443
The trial was receiving
quite a lot of publicity nationally.
703
00:36:12,083 --> 00:36:15,363
And police were contacted
704
00:36:15,483 --> 00:36:19,363
by a young woman called Shahin Munir.
705
00:36:19,483 --> 00:36:21,123
She thought she had information
706
00:36:21,203 --> 00:36:26,603
which would be useful
to the police investigating the case.
707
00:36:27,083 --> 00:36:29,723
And by this time,
the trial was well underway.
708
00:36:31,203 --> 00:36:33,123
[Helen] The police met with Shahin.
709
00:36:33,403 --> 00:36:37,763
And Shahin told them that
she had been so impressed
710
00:36:37,963 --> 00:36:41,083
by her courage in coming forward
to give evidence
711
00:36:41,923 --> 00:36:45,283
that she felt that she wanted
to tell the police what she knew.
712
00:36:46,403 --> 00:36:48,323
[narrator] Years ago, there was one thing
713
00:36:48,443 --> 00:36:51,603
Shafilea's other sister
couldn't say out loud.
714
00:36:51,923 --> 00:36:55,163
{\an8}I suggested to her,
"Then write it down in a letter."
715
00:36:56,323 --> 00:36:59,483
At that point, I did have an inkling
that it would be about Shafilea.
716
00:36:59,843 --> 00:37:02,043
I knew this was a big thing for her.
717
00:37:02,163 --> 00:37:05,243
I knew it took a lot for her
718
00:37:05,403 --> 00:37:08,043
to actually be able
to trust me to this extent.
719
00:37:08,843 --> 00:37:11,563
She messaged me saying that,
"Okay, I've written it down."
720
00:37:11,843 --> 00:37:14,203
She was going to town
that day with her mum
721
00:37:14,363 --> 00:37:16,603
so I kind of got there first.
722
00:37:16,723 --> 00:37:20,963
And as they walked past,
she dropped the letters behind her.
723
00:37:21,043 --> 00:37:25,843
Without her mum seeing, I picked them up
and I left as quick as I could.
724
00:37:26,083 --> 00:37:29,283
In fact, I didn't even look at them
until I got home into my bedroom.
725
00:37:29,403 --> 00:37:31,523
And I sat in my bedroom and I remember
726
00:37:31,603 --> 00:37:34,283
I sat cross-legged
and I started opening the letters.
727
00:37:34,483 --> 00:37:37,163
[melancholic music]
728
00:37:37,243 --> 00:37:39,523
[Helen] She had disclosed to Shahin Munir
729
00:37:39,883 --> 00:37:41,243
that she had been present
730
00:37:41,483 --> 00:37:44,723
when her parents had killed her sister.
731
00:37:48,523 --> 00:37:52,883
Yeah, so it just describes
the night she was murdered.
732
00:37:56,803 --> 00:37:59,683
They sat Shafilea down on this chair,
so they had this one chair
733
00:37:59,763 --> 00:38:01,163
where they would always sit her
734
00:38:01,363 --> 00:38:03,323
and the family would kind of gather round.
735
00:38:03,563 --> 00:38:08,723
And that's when they
just started abusing her
736
00:38:08,883 --> 00:38:10,403
and, you know, beating her.
737
00:38:10,483 --> 00:38:12,323
One would hold her while the other one
738
00:38:13,083 --> 00:38:16,323
um, would just physically abuse her.
739
00:38:18,603 --> 00:38:19,923
They had got a plastic bag
740
00:38:20,123 --> 00:38:24,003
and they… I think they put it in her mouth
741
00:38:24,363 --> 00:38:26,003
and held her down on the sofa
742
00:38:26,123 --> 00:38:28,643
and Shafilea struggled until she stopped.
743
00:38:28,763 --> 00:38:31,363
And then the kids were told
to go upstairs in their room.
744
00:38:36,403 --> 00:38:41,163
Her dad got rid of the body
and her mum after came in the bedroom
745
00:38:41,243 --> 00:38:44,243
and just got into bed with them
like everything was normal.
746
00:38:44,523 --> 00:38:47,243
And from that point onwards
the kids understood,
747
00:38:47,443 --> 00:38:49,083
"You'll never talk about this."
748
00:38:50,123 --> 00:38:53,163
She asked for her letters back,
which I kind of knew she would.
749
00:38:53,243 --> 00:38:56,323
I think she was too afraid
that somebody would find out.
750
00:38:56,643 --> 00:39:00,403
And I remember that night
I actually ended up making photocopies.
751
00:39:00,643 --> 00:39:04,563
Not to kind of betray her in any way,
752
00:39:04,683 --> 00:39:07,403
but actually just to keep
for myself to understand her.
753
00:39:09,123 --> 00:39:11,283
She didn't know I'd photocopied them.
754
00:39:11,723 --> 00:39:15,203
And when we met up, I ended up
giving her the original ones back.
755
00:39:15,523 --> 00:39:17,723
And without even thinking,
she ripped them up.
756
00:39:18,883 --> 00:39:24,323
It was quite clear when police
had spoken to Shahin Munir
757
00:39:24,403 --> 00:39:28,203
that she was a crucial
witness for the prosecution.
758
00:39:29,803 --> 00:39:31,243
And she gave evidence.
759
00:39:32,883 --> 00:39:36,323
[Shahin] I always understood
the notion of honor within a family.
760
00:39:36,403 --> 00:39:40,243
I always understood the notion
of shame within a community.
761
00:39:40,603 --> 00:39:44,043
But I never believed that
you could take it so far
762
00:39:44,643 --> 00:39:46,523
that you would kill your own.
763
00:39:48,523 --> 00:39:50,723
[Helen]
The judge called this girl as a witness.
764
00:39:51,203 --> 00:39:54,283
She did not agree
that she had seen
765
00:39:54,403 --> 00:39:57,243
her parents murder her sister.
766
00:39:57,723 --> 00:39:59,963
She said that the story
767
00:40:00,043 --> 00:40:03,003
that she'd written and shown to Shahin
768
00:40:03,523 --> 00:40:06,803
had been free writing, creative writing,
769
00:40:06,923 --> 00:40:08,843
and she'd just been writing stories.
770
00:40:08,923 --> 00:40:10,683
And there was no truth in it whatsoever.
771
00:40:10,763 --> 00:40:12,443
It wasn't an account of a murder.
772
00:40:12,563 --> 00:40:17,003
[Jasvinder] The other siblings who jumped
to the defense of their parents
773
00:40:17,163 --> 00:40:18,323
doesn't surprise me.
774
00:40:18,843 --> 00:40:22,563
Because they've aligned
their loyalty to the parents.
775
00:40:22,723 --> 00:40:25,043
It could be that they're
fearful for their own lives.
776
00:40:25,363 --> 00:40:28,243
It could be that they have
to live in that community
777
00:40:28,323 --> 00:40:30,283
and this is what
the community expects of them.
778
00:40:30,843 --> 00:40:33,323
So that decision would
not have been taken lightly.
779
00:40:33,523 --> 00:40:35,723
[Helen] She was in an impossible position
780
00:40:36,043 --> 00:40:41,563
because the account that
she'd given to Shahin
781
00:40:42,043 --> 00:40:46,603
chimed so closely with the account
that her sister had given
782
00:40:47,203 --> 00:40:50,443
that it was impossible
that she might by chance
783
00:40:50,523 --> 00:40:51,883
have made up a story.
784
00:40:52,243 --> 00:40:53,923
It just wasn't plausible.
785
00:40:56,803 --> 00:40:58,243
{\an8}[Jasvinder] They were convicted.
786
00:40:59,243 --> 00:41:01,643
{\an8}25 years with no parole.
787
00:41:02,043 --> 00:41:03,243
I have to say,
788
00:41:03,403 --> 00:41:06,683
myself and many people
in the sector were elated.
789
00:41:07,603 --> 00:41:09,683
[Darshna] It's never gonna
bring Shafilea back.
790
00:41:10,363 --> 00:41:11,923
[narrator] It's taken nine years
791
00:41:12,123 --> 00:41:15,323
for Shafilea's sister to find
the strength to speak out.
792
00:41:15,723 --> 00:41:19,083
[Jasvinder] This young girl's bravery,
I believe was ultimately
793
00:41:19,163 --> 00:41:20,963
what sealed the fate of her parents.
794
00:41:21,043 --> 00:41:25,443
So you're also living with the fact
that you've also convicted your parents.
795
00:41:25,883 --> 00:41:29,043
And now having to live
a life in protection,
796
00:41:29,163 --> 00:41:30,843
which I believe she'll have to live
797
00:41:30,963 --> 00:41:33,803
in that space for
the rest of her life most likely.
798
00:41:37,043 --> 00:41:40,963
Nowhere in Islam, Sikhism, or Hinduism
799
00:41:41,043 --> 00:41:45,603
does it say it is acceptable
for you to murder your child.