"𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗮 𝗔𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗱 The most prominent "honor killing" in the UK is the 2003 murder of 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed, who lived in Warrington, Cheshire. Her parents suffocated her because they felt her desire to embrace a westernized lifestyle brought shame to their cultural and religious values. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 Shafilea’s parents were upset that she wanted to wear makeup, go on dates, and mix with local friends. She was also resisting an arranged marriage. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 In September 2003, she was murdered inside her home in Warrington. Her parents stuffed a plastic bag in her mouth and suffocated her in front of her younger siblings. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝘂𝗽 Her body was dumped in the River Kent in Cumbria and wasn't found for six months. Her parents claimed she had simply run away, forcing the other children to lie to police. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The truth emerged in 2010 when her sister, Alesha, was arrested for an unrelated robbery at the family home and confessed to witnessing the murder. In 2012, both parents, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, were found guilty of murder at the Chester Crown Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 Advocacy groups like Karma Nirvana and the UK government estimate that at least 12 honor-based killings occur in the UK every year. These crimes are deeply hidden, so the actual numbers are believed to be much higher.