Aisha K. Gill 95 Shafilea to withdraw savings from her bank account, evidencing an attempt to exert control over his daughter. Late in November 2002, one of Shafilea’s friends saw her in a park, carrying her belongings wearing only a “thin sari.” Shafilea indicated she was running away from home “because her parents would not let her be.” Although the school reported the incident to social services, there is no record on file. In a meeting subsequently arranged by her teacher, Joanna Code, between Shafilea and her parents, Shafilea spoke “quite openly” about wanting “to be able to work and have money and go out.” By the end of the meeting, Mr Ahmed had agreed that Shafilea would be allowed more freedom. However, things did not improve and teachers continued to refer Shafilea to social services and suggested that she should contact Childline (author’s personal notes related to court attendance of this case, 2012). From the age of 15, Shafilea frequently reported suffering from domestic violence. On February 18, 2003, Shafilea’s parents drugged her and took her to Pakistan. The trip was cut short in May of that year, when she swallowed bleach, or a similar caustic liquid, and required treatment at a local hospital. Farzana later told the police that Shafilea had accidentally ingested the bleach, mistaking it for mouthwash. Medical practitioners reported that the mouth injury was inconsistent with the action of gargling mouthwash, but was consistent with a deliberate act of swallowing. The most likely explanation is that this was a deliberate act of self-harm by Shafilea to frustrate her parents’ plans of forced marriage in Pakistan. As a result of this injury, she was no longer considered “marriageable,” thus shaming her family. Despite her illness, Shafilea was determined to continue her education and become a lawyer. In September 2003, Shafilea commenced a series of courses at Warrington’s Priestly College. On the evening of September 11, 2003, she worked at her part-time job until 9.00 p.m. when another employee observed her leaving at the end of her shift. She spent the evening at her family home in Warrington with her parents and four siblings. Her father claims that she was alive though asleep when he and the rest of the family went to bed at 11.00 p.m. Although Shafilea was due for treat­ ment at the hospital the following day, she was not seen alive again after that night. Shafilea’s former teacher reported her missing on September 18, 2003, prompting an extensive police investigation into her disappearance. At the time, the primary sources of information were Shafilea’s family, friends, and teachers. Significant inconsistencies soon emerged, casting suspicion over her disappearance. The investigation also revealed the history of school, social services, and law enforcement involvement with Shafilea and her family as early as her entry into secondary school and continuing until her disappearance. In December 2003, Shafilea’s parents were arrested on suspicion of abduction. They denied any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance and were released on police bail. Shafilea’s parents gave a number of press interviews in March 2004, including one broadcasted on Newsnight on March 2, 2004. Whereas Farzana Ahmed remained silent throughout the interview, Iftikhar Ahmed appeared attentive and focused, distancing himself from Shafilea by referring to her as “the daughter” or “the girl.” When asked about Shafilea’s suicide attempt, he contradicted the medical evidence, stating that his daughter “took a sip” of poisonous liquid. Mr Ahmed claimed “I’m not a strict parent in any way . . . I’m as English as anybody can picture me, right. But obviously the police portrayal of me is different . . . we have not been treated fairly” (Gill 2014). He complained that his family was misunderstood by the police and the public and feigned being hurt by suspicion that he and his family were responsible for the death of “the girl.”