Murdered girl 'feared arranged marriage'

A young girl found dead by the side of a river was afraid that her parents were going to force her into an arranged marriage.

Shafilea Ahmed's body was found in 2004 and the 17-year-old had told friends that she was being abused by her parents, who had stolen money from her and physically attacked her.

The Warrington resident disappeared five months before her body was found and an inquest into her death has heard that the teenager sought advice from a homelessness officer as a result of her difficult family life.

It has emerged that Ms Ahmed produced a personal statement detailing her fears in a bid to secure a home for herself away from her parents.

She wrote: "I had saved £2,000 which they took out of my bank account. My parents are going to send me to Pakistan and I'll be married to someone and left there. There had been a build-up of violence towards me, and my mother told me I was about to go to Pakistan for an arranged marriage.

"My mother had started to pack and my parents had been in to school to inform them we were going to Pakistan."

When Ms Ahmed's teachers reported her missing in 2003 her parents were arrested on suspicion of kidnap, along with five other relatives. However, they were released without charge. The investigation continues.

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