Shafilea's sister continues to give evidence

Shafilea Ahmed's sister has told a jury her parents played no part in the teenager's death.

Mevish Ahmed, 21, was giving evidence for a third day in the trial of parents Iftikhar, 52, and Farzana, 49.

They who are accused of murdering 17-year-old Shafilea at home in Warrington, Cheshire, in September 2003.

Cross-examined by Tom Bayliss QC, defending taxi driver Mr Ahmed, his daughter said she stood by her statements to police in December 2003, when Shafilea was missing.

Mr Bayliss said: "The police officer asked you did you think your mum and dad were involved in Shafilea's disappearance and could they be involved in any way.

"The 12-year-old you said no, what does the 21-year-old you say?"

Miss Ahmed replied: "No, still."

"And they weren't were they?," Mr Bayliss went on.

"No," Miss Ahmed, a personal loans advisor for a large bank, said.

The body of Shafilea, 17, was found on the bank of the River Kent in Cumbria in February 2004.

Another sister, Alesha, 23, earlier told Chester Crown Court the parents pushed Shafilea on to the settee in their house and she heard her mother say "Just finish it here" in Urdu as they forced a plastic bag into the teenager's mouth and suffocated her in front of their other children.

The jury has also seen extracts of writings made by Miss Ahmed and given to a friend, Shahin Munir, which appeared to corroborate Alesha's accusation.

Miss Ahmed has described the documents as "free writing" and said they were all pieces of "fiction".

Asked how she felt about the writings appearing to implicate her parents, Miss Ahmed said: "I feel like they are being blamed for something they have not done.

"I couldn't live with myself if, and obviously (the writings) have been taken out of context, they went down for something they didn't do.

"My sister's killer is still out there.

"I'm sorry that I wrote this, it was just a story and I did not think it would be taken out of context."

The couple, of Liverpool Road, Warrington, deny murder.