Sara Sharif trial murder latest: Schoolgirl’s head ‘covered with homemade hood’ in weeks before death
Fingerprints allegedly belonging to 10-year-old’s father Urfan Sharif found on one of bags, second day of trial hears
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Sara Sharif’s head was covered with “homemade hoods” made of plastic bags and parcel tape in the weeks before her death, a court has heard on the second day of her murder trial.
The Old Bailey also heard on Tuesday that fingerprints allegedly belonging to the 10-year-old’s father, Urfan Sharif, were found on one of the bags and a bit of parcel tape.
Earlier, jurors were told neighbour Chloe Redwin, who used to live above the family at a previous address in 2020, would hear “shockingly loud” sounds of “smacking” from their home followed by “gut-wrenching screams”, and thought Urfan Sharif was “conscious of the noise his family made, because on occasions he would apologise for it”.
Surrey Police discovered Sara dead in a bedroom at an address on Hammond Road in Woking on 10 August last year.
The court heard on Monday that the child was found with “disturbing” injuries that included bitemarks, scalding and broken bones in what was described as a “campaign of abuse”.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is standing trial before Mr Justice Cavanagh alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle Faisal Malik, 29.
The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, have pleaded not guilty to Sara’s murder and to causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.
Sara Sharif murder trial set to continue for second day today
The Sara Sharif murder trial is set to continue for a second day today.
The 10-year-old’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 29, and uncle Faisal Malik, 28, are charged with her murder and causing or allowing her death.
The trial is due to go on for seven weeks at the Old Bailey in central London.
Full story: Sara Sharif’s father called 999 to admit he ‘beat her up’ before fleeing to Pakistan leaving body in bunk bed
Sara Sharif’s father told police “I’ve killed my daughter” and that he had “legally punished” her after inflicting injuries that led to her death, a court has heard.
Urfan Sharif contacted Surrey Police on 999 in the early hours of 10 August last year, after he had fled to Pakistan leaving his daughter’s body at the family home in Woking, Surrey.
Officers discovered the body of the 10-year-old under a blanket on a bunk bed. She had suffered extensive injuries in a “campaign of abuse”, which included broken bones, burns and bruising.
My colleague Holly Evans reports:
Sara Sharif’s father called 999 to admit he ‘beat her up’ before fleeing to Pakistan
The 10-year-old had suffered multiple injuries including fractures, broken bones and bite marks
What did Urfan Sharif say in his 999 call?
In a harrowing phone call that lasts over eight minutes, jurors heard Urfan Sharif reporting his daughter’s death to Surrey Police, telling them: “I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her but I beat her up too much.”
He can be heard crying down the phone, pleading with officers to visit the address and saying: “Can you send someone, my daughter is alone.”
Asked what had happened, he said: “I think she was naughty over the last three, four weeks and I was giving her punishment to sort her out and I did something and she died.”
When asked if she was breathing, he said: “I tried to resuscitate her I tried to give her CPR everything but I failed, I panicked.
“She is dead I am telling you.”
He adds that he will return to the property and told the operator: “It happened 36 hours ago, I’m a cruel father.”
Key dates in Sara Sharif death after alleged ‘campaign of abuse’
Ten-year-old Sara Sharif died after an alleged “campaign of abuse” in the home she shared with her father, stepmother and uncle.
Here is a timeline of how events unfolded, according to the prosecution.
– April 2023
Father Urfan Sharif informs Sara’s school that she will be home-schooled with immediate effect.
– 6 April 2023
Sara and her family move to a three-bedroom house in Hammond Road in the Horsell area of Woking.
– 8 August 2023
8.38pm – A child sends a WhatsApp message to a school friend labelled “urgent”, saying that Sara had “just passed away”.
9.07pm – Beinash Batool, Sara’s stepmother, calls Southall Travel agency to ask about flights to Pakistan but after 50 minutes the call ends without flights being arranged.
10pm – Sharif contacts Nadeem Riaz, who works for a money transfer business, and says he needs a flight to Pakistan the next day.
– 9 August 2023
9.25am – CCTV captures Sharif and his family arriving at Heathrow Airport to take a flight to Pakistan at 2pm.
– 10 August 2023
2.47am – Sharif has arrived in Pakistan and phones police in the UK, saying: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died. She was naughty. I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”
Police go to the family home in Woking and find Sara’s body in a bed with a note by the pillow in Sharif’s handwriting.
– 15 August 2023
A post-mortem examination is undertaken which concludes Sara’s death was not a natural one. There were alleged signs of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks, bruises, iron burns to the buttocks, restraint marks and suspected human bite marks, jurors heard.
– 6 September 2023
Sharif and Batool appear in a short video clip provided to and broadcast by Sky News in which Batool refers to Sara’s death as an “incident”.
– 13 September 2023
Sharif, Batool and Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik take a flight into Gatwick and are met by police who arrest them on the plane.
– 14 October 2024
The three defendants, of Woking, Surrey, go on trial at the Old Bailey, having denied murder and causing or allowing Sara’s death.
What have the defendants said?
The defendants, of Hammond Road in Woking, have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.
The prosecutor told the jury that all three defendants “played their part” in the violence and it was “inconceivable” that just one of them had acted alone.
Addressing the jury, Mr Emlyn Jones said: “Ask yourselves, how could just one person have carried out so much abuse, so many assaults, without the others knowing about it and witnessing it with their own eyes?
“If any one of them was not a part of it, but had seen it, why then was nothing done to stop it, or report it?”
He continued: “Each of them denies that they were the one responsible for any of that violence and abuse.
“Each of them seeks to deflect the blame onto one or both of the others, to shift responsibility away from themselves, onto someone else. In other words, they are pointing the finger at each other.”
Jurors were told Sharif’s case was that his wife, Batool, was responsible for Sara’s death and his confession was false to protect her.
Batool accused Sharif of being a violent disciplinarian and she was fearful of her husband, Mr Emlyn Jones said.
Malik’s case is that whoever was responsible it was not him and he was unaware of what was going on, the prosecutor added.
What did Urfan Sharif write in his note?
In a handwritten note, which an expert had examined and concluded belonged to Sharif, he wrote on a piece of paper: “Love you Sara.”
A second piece read: “Whoever see this note its me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I am running away because I am scared but I promise that I will hand over myself and take punishment.’
“I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her but I lost it. My daughter is Muslim. Can you burry (sic) her like Muslim may be. I will be back before you finish the postmortem.”
Jury told Sara Sharif’s father told police ‘I legally punished her and she died’
The father of Sara Sharif fled to Pakistan after allegedly killing the 10-year-old and called police to say “I legally punished her and she died”, a court has heard.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of her murder alongside Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
Opening their trial on Monday, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said all the defendants had played a part in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara leading to her death.
Read the full article here:
Jury told Sara Sharif’s father told police ‘I legally punished her and she died’
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of her murder alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik.
Recap: Key takeaways from today
Opening the prosecution case against Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle, jurors at the Old Bailey heard:
- Urfan Sharif called Surrey Police during the early hours of 10 August and told them: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died.”
- Officers found the 10-year-old under a blanket in a bunkbed at the family home in Surrey, with a handwritten note next to the pillow in Sharif’s writing. The note said: “It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.
- A post-mortem examination found that Sara had died of extensive injuries after enduring a prolonged period of abuse, which included bruising, burns and broken bones.
- The three family members fled to Pakistan on 9 August and were arrested over a month later on 13 September after returning to the UK.
Sara Sharif timeline leading to arrest
Key dates in Sara Sharif death after alleged ‘campaign of abuse’
The youngster’s father Urfan Sharif is on trial accused of her murder alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik.
Trial adjourns for the day
The trial of Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle has been adjourned for the day and will resume on Tuesday at 10.30am.
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