THE parents of Shafilea Ahmed have made two court appearances since being charged with her murder.

The 17-year-old’s remains were discovered on the banks of the River Kent, in Cumbria, in February 2004.

She disappeared from her parents’ home on Liverpool Road, in Great Sankey, in September 2003.

Her taxi driver father Iftikhar Ahmed, aged 51, and mother Farzana Ahmed, aged 48, were charged with the former Great Sankey High School pupil’s murder on Wednesday.

They appeared on the same day at Halton Magistrates’ Court, in Runcorn, where they confirmed their names, ages and addresses.

Mr Ahmed was subsequently remanded at HMP Altcourse, in Liverpool, and Mrs Ahmed at Styal Prison, in Wilmslow.

On Friday, they appeared at Manchester Crown Court via videolinks from prison. The couple did not seek bail and their legal team scheduled another hearing next Thursday to apply for it.

Henry Riding, prosecuting, put forward a date of September 27 for a preliminary hearing at Chester Crown Court that was agreed by Judge Mr Justice Henriques.

The couple were initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping their daughter in December 2003 but were released without charge in June 2004 when the Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was insufficient evidence against them.