The older sister of Shahena Uddin, who was allegedly beaten to death by her family, told a court their sister in law confided in her that Shahena had been beaten with a glow stick the night she died and had asked her "how to get out of it".

Speaking from the witness stand, Reena Begum, 31, told St Albans Crown Court today that sister in law Salma Begum had made the statements during a conversation two days after Shahena died.

She said: "Salma asked me how to get out of Shahena's death in Bengali."

She continued: "I asked if there had been an argument, she said there was. She said Jhuhal hit Shahena with a glow stick a couple of times.

"In my eyes she didn't seem bothered that Shahena was dead, just that it had left all of them in trouble basically."

Shahena's brother, Suhail Uddin, 35, and his wife Salma Begum, 32, both plead not guilty to her murder.

Shahena's brother Jhuhal Uddin denies causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.

Reena, the third sibling in the Uddin family, said she left the family home when she was a teenager and was seen by her brothers and sisters as a "black sheep" because she chose to live a more "westernised" lifestyle.

Reena told the jury that Salma arrived at her home in Luton with her youngest sister Sabina Uddin in the early hours of Sunday morning on October 12, 2014 - the day after Shahena, 19, was found dead in the bathroom of her Leavesden Road home by emergency services.

She said the conversation with Salma took place on the following Monday, but the defence claim it never happened and Reena is lying.

Lisa Wilding, Salma's defence council, said Reena did not tell the police about the conversation until August this year - despite being interviewed as a witness twice since she alleged it happened.

Ms Wilding said: "When you went and made a further statement in August this year, you made that statement because of things Sabina had told you. Things that she told you, in your words, disgusted you.

"The first time you spoke to the police was on the Sunday night, October 12, and you said 'Salma told me Shahena kept going to the bathroom, she hit her head on the toilet - she said there was sick and water everywhere'."

Ms Wilding also suggested the phrase Reena had translated from Bengali as "get me out of it" could also have meant "saved from or how are we going to get over this".

Reena said the conversation happened and she had not told the police sooner because she felt "indebted" to Salma and her family for helping her after a relationship broke down and that the situation was "a lot to take in".

The court also heard Laila Begum, wife of Jhuhal Uddin, who is also in the dock accused of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult, had come from Bangladesh in January 2014 - nine months before Shahena died.

Her defence council, Adam Davies, asked Reena if sister Sabina - who testified as a witness earlier this week - had told her anything of Laila's involvement.

Reena said: "She said Laila was innocent in all of this, she was always kept out of it."

The prosecution allege that Shahena was beaten to death at the family house during the night of October 10, 2014.

Shahena’s three other brothers, Jewell, 27, Jhuhal, 33 and Tohel Uddin, 24, all deny, along with Salma Begum, causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.

Shahena's sister Rehena Uddin, 22, pleads not guilty to causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult and Laila Begum, 25, who is the wife of Jhuhal Uddin, denies causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.

All seven plead not guilty to an offence of conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice by attempting to impede the police investigation into the circumstances of Shahena's death.

The trial continues.