THE parents of a Warrington teenager suspected to have been the victim of an honour killing appeared in court charged with her murder.

Shafilea Ahmed's decomposing remains were found by the side of the River Kent, in Cumbria, five months after she disappeared from her home in Great Sankey, in September, 2003.

Yesterday, Cheshire Police charged the 17-year-old's parents with her murder.

Father Iftikhar Ahmed, 51, and mother Farzana, 48, both of Liverpool Road, Warrington, appeared before magistrates in Halton in the afternoon.

They were arrested last September and questioned about their daughter’s death before being released on bail.

When they answered that bail yesterday, they were charged with murder and taken to court later the same day.

In a hearing that lasted no more than three minutes, the Ahmeds, standing in the dock with a security guard between them, spoke only to give their names, dates of birth and confirm their address.

Mrs Ahmed, who looked tearful throughout, spoke softly and her words were relayed to the court by an interpreter.

The court was told by the clerk that accusations of murder can only be dealt with by a Crown Court.

As they were led away in handcuffs, having been remanded in custody, Mr Ahmed gave a thumbs up to family members in the public gallery.

The defendants will next appear at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, for a bail application via the court video-link.