A father accused of the "honour killings" of four family members - including his three teenage daughters - was recorded on police wiretaps saying he was "happy" they were dead and that he would "do the same again", a Canadian court has heard.

Mohammad Shafia, 58, his second wife Tooba Mahommad Yahya, 41, and their son Hamed, 20, are on trial for the first-degree murder of Zainab Shafia, 19, Sahar Shafia, 17, Geeti Shafia, 13, and his first wife Rona Amir Mohammad, 50, in 2009.

Killed ... Sahar Shafia.

Prosecutors told the Ontario court their deaths were "honour killings" committed to remove the perceived shame the women brought on their family, such as by having boyfriends.

They were arrested after a car was discovered submerged in a canal lock near Kingston in June 2009, with the bodies of the four family members in it. A post-mortem examination indicated they died of drowning.