Canal trial hears Shafia say daughters were liars

The father accused in the deaths of his three teenage daughters and another woman told a police interrogatorhis children were liars, a Kingston, Ont.court heard Wednesday.

Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 41, and their son, Hamed Mohammad Shafia, 20, are each charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three Shafia sisters, Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 50.

Shafia made the statement in avideotaped interrogation after he, his wife and son were arrested in July 2009.

In the video, Shafia deniedkilling the four victims or helping to kill them, saying his childrenwere pure and sinless. Two minutes later he said his childrenwere all liars except his son.

During his interrogation, Shafia said his daughters told Quebec youth protection services thathe and Yahya beat them, but he didn't know why.

Before thevideotaped interrogation was played, Yahya's brother Fazil Javad finshed his second day oftestimony by telling the court hehad weekly phone conversations with the accused to talk about the family crisis over the eldest daughter Zainab'splans to marryher boyfriend.

Javad also said he spoke to Zainab, who told him of alleged abuse at the hands of her father and control exercised by her brother.

Javad testified that Zainabtold him that although she knew she wasn't ready, she had toget marriedto escape her home life and alleged abuse.