A young woman who was dating against her famly's wishes was advised to stop flaunting the romance prior to the killing of her lover, a court was told yesterday.

Manna Begum's fianc, 19-year-old Arash Ghorbani-Zarin, was killed by her brother, Mohammed Mujibar Rahman, then 18, it was alleged at Oxford Crown Court.

The killing was carried out to "vindicate the family's honour," said Julian Baughan QC, for the prosecution.

The court was told her kissing and holding hands publicly with her boyfriend "brought shame on her family".

Miss Begum, 19, fell pregnant to Arash, something that further angered her family as it made her unsuitable for her arranged marriage to someone else, the court was told.

Her brother, known as Muji, who lives with his family in Oxford, denies murder. His father, 44-year-old waiter Chomir Ali, also denies murder. He is also charged with assisting an offender.

Ali is not said to have been present when the university student was stabbed 46 times in his car in Oxford on November 20, last year. But he is alleged to have "counselled and procured" his son to commit the murder.

He is also said to have disposed of the murder weapon, a knife, and items of his son's clothing in the days after the killing.

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, is also standing trial for the murder.

Arash was found dead in his green Renault car near his home in Spencer Crescent, Oxford, on November 20 last year.

In evidence Miss Begum's close friend, Cheherazad Jmil, said: "She (Manna) would walk around the streets holding hands (with Arash). I warned her not to do it because it would bring shame on her family.

"Muslim girls should not date. I told her not to embarrass her family by doing so.

"It's just the way Muslims are; the girls do not date. It's shameful for the family.

"Her family did not approve of Arash."

Miss Jmil said that she and Arash feared for Miss Begum's safety at home after she slit her wrists in November 2003.

"We wanted to get her out of the house," Miss Jmil told the court.

After Miss Jmil banged on the door, Miss Begum was ushered out of the house by her mother.

At hospital Miss Jmil's mother was "trying to get him (Ali) to see that the children were in love," she told the jury.

A mobile phone charger was later "smuggled", without her parents knowing, to Miss Begum by Miss Jmil.

"It was not just for her relationship; it was more for her safety. What if she had slit her wrists again?" Miss Jmil asked.

She said that Miss Begum later ran away from the family home to stay with a friend's aunt.

The jury heard how, before his murder, Arash had showed a scan of his unborn baby to friends and invited them to his wedding.

He had been studying electronic engineering at Oxford Brookes University and took a job at a toy store in preparation for becoming a father, the court heard.

Sharaz Ali Rana, a close friend of Mr Ghorbani-Zarin, said he became "emotional" after meeting Miss Begum in the street in August this year. It was then he was informed she had "got rid of" the baby, the jury heard.

He told the court: "That was the only bit of him (Arash) left in this world and she just got rid of it (the baby)."

Mr Rana said that after finding out Miss Begum was pregnant, Arash had been planning to support his family.

He said: "He was going to stand on his own two feet, take care of Manna, take care of the baby and become a real man."

The trial continues