BODY language experts have revealed the moment parents Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed's story about their daughter's disappearance and death started to unravel in front of the world's media.

In the latest series of Faking It: Tears of a Crime, expert Cliff Lansley discusses the tell-tale signs portrayed by Shafilea Ahmed's parents during a recording of a documentary about the 17-year-old's death.

Footage captures the moment Mr Ahmed is questioned whether he had any involvement with his daughter's disappearance to which he replies: 'Never. I couldn't even dream of it.' 

But a self-incriminating nod implied otherwise. 

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

After almost nine years of lies, deception and deceit the parents of Shafilea were found guilty of her murder – the couple were finally brought to justice in 2012 following a lengthy trial.

Her parents were sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years.

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 former Great Sankey High School pupil, claiming she ran away from home on the night she was murdered.

But the parents did not report their daughter as missing.

Joanne Code, a teacher at Great Sankey High School, notified police that Shafilea had disappeared.

The former Priestley College student’s decomposed remains were found five months later in February 2004.

At first her parents wanted no publicity but as suspicion grew, they went on the PR offensive, staging press conferences and even invading a press briefing to state they had nothing to do with their daughter’s disappearance.

The day after Shafilea's body was identified her parents made an unannounced appearance at a press conference, at The Village Hotel, Warrington, where a prepared statement was read out.

"Mr and Mrs Ahmed wish to confirm once more that they strenuously deny any direct or indirect involvement in their daughter's untimely demise," said their solicitor, Milton Firman.

"If called upon to do so, they shall not hesitate to defend their good and unblemished names in any court."

At the press conference, a party of five or six people, consisting of family and friends, joined Shafilea's parents, who struggled to fight back the tears.

Her parents had previously turned down opportunities to appeal for information about their daughter's disappearance - despite requests from Cheshire Police.

But the lies of the two defendants were uncovered after daughter Alesha Ahmed staged an armed robbery at the family home in August 2010, for which she was arrested.

The 23-year-old, who is currently in witness protection, gave evidence to say she witnessed her parents kill Shafilea and that her siblings were also present.

During the trial letters written in 2008 by Shafilea’s younger sister Mevish were read out where she described witnessing the murder.

She also talked of how her parents had regularly beaten and abused Shafilea for talking to boys.

But when the 21-year-old was called to give evidence by Mr Justice Roderick Evans, she claimed they were fictional stories she had made up.

Proceedings then took a dramatic twist during the trial when Mrs Ahmed changed her statement, blaming her husband for the murder.

Faking It: Tears of a Crime series two investigates what’s really going on behind the tearful court appearances of some of the most famous killers.

With a panel of experts in forensic psychology, intelligence and linguistics, the series unearths the jaw-dropping deception from the perpetrators of some of the world’s most notorious and high-profile criminal cases. 

The next episode of Faking It: Tears of a Crime will be broadcast on Friday at 10pm on Investigation Discovery.