AS Shafilea Ahmed left work in her new T-shirt, she knew her mum was going to have something to say about it.

But she had no idea the row which was about to ensue over her dress sense would end in her being murdered in the family home in front of her siblings.

9 Shafilea was murdered by her parents in front of her siblings Credit: PA:Press Association

The 17-year-old's parents were strict Muslims and hated Shafilea's westernised fashion choices, often calling her a 'prostitute' and a 'whore' and beating and starving her as a punishment.

But on September 11, 2003, the argument over Shafilea's T-shirt - a clothing choice which her parents said embarrassed them and brought shame on their family - ended with her mum and dad stuffing a carrier bag into her mouth until she turned blue.

Her horrified siblings watched on in horror as they killed their own daughter in a brutal attack in their Warrington home, before their dad bundled her lifeless body into the car and dumped her body in a river 70 miles away.

It would take nine years before her sister Alesha, 30, finally broke rank to reveal her family’s horrific secret to the police.

9 Iftikhar and Faranza Ahmed were ashamed of their eldest child Credit: PA:Press Association

In a new documentary, When Missing Turns To Murder, journalists, investigators and friends of the Ahmed family reveal the harrowing extent of Shafilea’s abuse, and the wall of silence the police were met with from her family and the wider community following her death.

Even now, 16 years on, some of her siblings still refuse to admit their parent’s vile actions.

Killed for wearing make-up

Born in July 1986, Shafilea was the first child of Farzana and Iftikhar Ahmed, cousins who had an arranged marriage.

The life they built together was strict - but despite this, teenage Shafilea wore make-up and false nails.

She had an interest in fashion, and even dreamt of becoming a lawyer some day.

“She texted boys,” says family friend Shahin Munir, who attended the same mosque as Shafilea’s sisters. “But obviously it was hidden. It couldn’t be on her mobile phone because her parents would check.”

9 Her body was found in a river 70 miles away from the family home Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures

Iftikhar and Farzana deeply disproved of their daughter’s ‘westernised’ way of life.

“I’d heard there were physical beatings and a lot of emotional abuse,” says Shahin. “Her sister told me her parents would lock Shafilea in the garden. She wanted to escape her home, for her it was hell.”

'She drank bleach in a suicide attempt'

Determined to curb her rebellious ways, the family arranged a family holiday to Pakistan where they intended to marry Shafilea off to one of her cousins.

But Shafilea was terrified, and refused to go. So her father drugged her with sleeping tablets and forced her to get on the flight.

9 Shahin Munir was a close friend of Shafilea and knew of her struggle at home

When she woke up in Pakistan, Shafilea was so terrified about what may happen to her that she drank bleach in a desperate suicide attempt, severely burning her throat and oesophagus.

The family rushed her to hospital where she stayed for two months while she recovered.

Her father cashed in her return ticket for £250 and flew back to the UK with her two sisters.

When Shafilea returned to the UK, she spent a couple of weeks in hospital in Warrington, where Iftikhar claimed she’d mistaken a bottle of bleach for mouthwash.

When she eventually came home, her parents isolated Shafilea - and while she went to school and worked part-time in a call centre, her mum insisted on picking her up everyday, watching her every move.

9 Shafilea's mother called her daughter a 'prostitute' for her dress sense Credit: Neil Jones - News Group Newspapers Ltd

Furious at her for refusing the marriage and for, in their opinion, bringing shame on the family, her parents decided to carry out an honour killing on their eldest daughter.

They executed it in front of Shafilea’s three younger sisters and brother.

After dumping Shafilea’s body in the river, her parents warned their other kids they'd kill them too if they ever spoke of the incident again.

Alerted to her absence by teachers, police called at the family home and Iftikhar and Farzana said they thought she'd run away.

Then, five months later in February 2004, a decomposed corpse was found in the River Kent near Sedgwick in Cumbria, washed up by recent flooding.

The body was dismembered, but Shafilea’s dentist identified her lower jaw and DNA evidence from her right thigh bone corroborated this.

9 Shanin says her friend's sister confided in her that her parents had been abusing Shafilea

A murder investigation was launched by the police, but the case ran cold.

The family put on a lavish funeral and played the grieving parents - but police kept a close eye on them over the next few years.

'Let's finish it here'

Then, in 2010 Shafilea's younger sister Alesha - 15 at the time of her sister's murder - couldn't take it anymore.

She went to the police and gave a witness statement implicating her parents in Shafilea’s death.

In September 2011, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed were arrested and charged on suspicion of murder.

9 Her father dumped the body in a river Credit: Refer to Caption

During the trial in May 2012, Alesha, who was shielded from her parents by a screen, detailed how her mother had gone to collect Shafilea from her part-time job in a call centre on September 11, 2003.

She was apparently wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and was showing her arms, which upset Farzana.

They started arguing, and when they got home Iftikhar became involved. Finally, Farzana decided she’d had enough.

“Let’s finish it here,” she said in Urdu.

Alesha continued to describe how Shafilea was held down by her parents on a sofa, as a plastic bag was stuffed into her mouth.

9 The family put on a grand funeral for Shafilea

Her parents put their hands over her mouth and nose, and all of the children watched while they suffocated Shafilea.

Alesha recalled how her sister’s eyes went wide, and she kicked her legs manically. As she lost control, she urinated on the sofa.

Her testimony was damning. After reading about it in the media, family friend Shahin Manir decided to come forward herself.

One beat her while the other held her down

A few years earlier, Shafilea’s other sister had written a letter to Shahin talking about the night of Shafilea’s murder.

“She talked about this one chair where they would always sit Shafilea, and the family would gather around,’ says Shahin. “That’s when they started abusing her and beating her. One would hold her while the other would physically abuse her.”

After Shafilea’s killing, her dad got rid of the body, while her mum came upstairs and got into bed as if nothing had happened.

“From that point onwards, the kids understood they never talked about this,” says Shahin.

9 Credit: PA:Press Association

Afterwards, Shafilea’s sister asked for her letters back and destroyed them. Luckily, Shahin made photocopies.

She testified against Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed. Although Shafilea’s other sister backtracked and claimed her letters were creative writing, the evidence was overwhelming.

In August 2012, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed were found guilty, and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with no parole.

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Their daughter Alesha now lives in protective custody.

For Shahin, the shock of Shafilea’s brutal murder still haunts her to this day.

“I always understood the notion of honour within a family. I understood the notion of shame within a community,” she says. “But I never believed you could take it so far that you would kill your own.”

When Missing Turns To Murder continues on Crime and Investigation channel at 9pm on Monday April 15