'Honour killing' inquiry to re-examine body

The mystery over the death of Shafilea Ahmed deepened yesterday when a coroner ordered a second post-mortem examination of her body.

The mystery over the death of Shafilea Ahmed deepened yesterday when a coroner ordered a second post-mortem examination of her body.

Detectives are still investigating the death of Shafilea, 17, whose body was found in the river Kent at Sedgwick, Cumbria, last month, five months after she went missing from her home in Warrington, Cheshire.

The South Lakeland Coroner, Cyril Prickett, called for another post-mortem examination after hearing that the condition in which her body was found had prevented pathologists from identifying the cause of death. He adjourned the inquest for eight weeks, to give police and pathologists more time.

Shafilea's disappearance followed a family holiday to Pakistan, where she drank bleach after being introduced to an arranged marriage suitor. Her parents did not report her missing; staff at a local school alerted police a week after her disappearance.

Her parents Iftikhar, 44, and Farzana, 41, were arrested in December on suspicion of kidnap and released on police bail, but have denied involvement.