KINGSTON, Ont. - Sahar Shafia, 17, showed up to class with bruised arms, collapsed at school and begged a teacher to help her move out, before being allegedly murdered, a court heard Thursday.
St Antoine de Saint-Exupery schoolteacher Fatiha Boualia told the court that no family member even bothered visiting Sahar when she was hospitalized, in spite of repeated appeals from the school.
And when teacher Claudia Deslauriers asked Sahar's mother Toobah Mohammed Yahyah about the bruises on her daughter's arms, the mother instead angrily asked if Sahar had been dating or kissing boys.
Sahar's younger sister Geeti, 13, was also determined to move out along with Sahar, the teachers reported in court. When they advised her against it, she reacted aggressively and insisted on the plan.
Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, Geeti, 13, and their father's first wife, Ronia Amir Mohammad, were all found dead in a car submerged in the Kingston Canal in 2009.
Mohammed Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their son Hamed are on trial for what the prosecution contends was an honour killing sparked by cultural clashes.
On the stand Sahar's teacher at Antoine de Saint-Exupery school said that the girl began school at age 15 with little to no French, but within months had mastered the language well enough to confide in her.
The teacher said Sahar related tales of physical and verbal abuse at her home. Sahar told her teacher that she was often confined in her room at home, and sometimes denied permission to leave the house and go to school.
This reportedly made Sahar so sad that her marks plummeted.
On Wednesday the school's vice-principal testified that Sahar had mentioned the abuse and a suicide attempt.
Efforts to get help from youth protection services proved fruitless when aide workers questioned Sahar in the presence of her parents, and Sahar ended up recanting her story.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case within a few days and the defense will then present its evidence.
