A couple murdered their Bradford-born teenage daughter because they believed her conduct was bringing shame on the family, a Court heard today.

The decomposed remains of 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed were discovered in Cumbria in February 2004.

Today, as her parents Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed went on trial for murder, prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told Chester Crown Court they had killed her because she refused to obey them.

Opening the case against the Ahmeds, Mr Edis told the jury of seven men and five women: "The defendants, having spent the best part of 12 months trying to really crush her, realised they were never going to be able to succeed and finally killed her because her conduct dishonoured the family, bringing shame on them."

Ahmed, 52, and his 49-year-old wife, deny murdering Shafilea at their home in Warrington in September 2003. The trial continues.