Investigating officer opens up about bringing Shafilea Ahmed's killers to justice

Geraint Jones, who has since retired from Cheshire Police, was part of the investigating team who helped to discover the truth about the former Great Sankey High School pupil’s death.

“She was murdered because she didn’t conform,” said the former officer.

“She was murdered because they had this misconception about trying to bring their old life in Pakistan into their new house in Cheshire.”

After suffering years of honour-based violence – including an attempted forced marriage – Shafilea’s parents Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed suffocated her to death in front of her siblings in 2003.

PICTURED: Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed

The teenager was murdered in the lounge of her family home on Liverpool Road in Great Sankey on September 11, 2003.

Her body was then driven to the Lake District and dumped in a gorge next to the River Kent, Sedgwick.

Both Mr and Mrs Ahmed always denied killing the 17-year-old, claiming she ran away from home on the night she was murdered.

But her parents did not report their daughter as missing.

After almost nine years of lies, deception and deceit, her parents were finally brought to justice in 2012 following a lengthy trial.

The couple were found guilty of her murder and they were sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years.

This year marks 15 years since her brutal murder.

July 14 is a national memorial day held in Shafilea's memory – this year would have been her 32nd birthday.

Mr Jones added: “People understand now. The issues are still there but the awareness of particular frontline staff is much higher

“The journey over the next 15 years is all about raising awareness but also about when you get a report what to do.

"People are starting to be savvier around managing the threat and reacting to the threat because it’s a very real one.”