Sara Sharif murder trial latest: Father apologised over noise to neighbour who heard ‘gut-wrenching’ screams
Second day of trial underway after court heard on Monday Urfan Sharif told police ‘I’ve killed my daughter’ in 999 call
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Sara Sharif’s father apologised over noise coming from their family home after a neighbour heard “gut-wrenching screams”, a court has heard as the second day of the schoolgirl’s murder trial got underway.
The Old Bailey heard that neighbour Chloe Redwin, who used to live above Sara’s father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool at a previous address in 2020, would also hear “shockingly loud” sounds of “smacking” from their home, 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 10-year-old 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 Beinash Batool, 30, and Sara’s 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.
Plastic coated metal pole found in outhouse a match to bruises on Sara’s body, jury told
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the court that some linear bruises found Sara Sharif’s body gave the impression of being caused by an object, rather than fists and feet.
A plastic coated metal pole found in a brick out house at the address was compared to Sara’s bruising by an expert.
“His conclusion is that the pole does appear to be a candidate for having been used to cause those particular bruises,” Mr Emlyn Jones said.
The expert also found that other bruises may have been caused by a belt buckle found in a Wendy house in the garden, he added.
Sara Sharif’s head covered with ‘home-made hoods’ of plastic bags and parcel tape, court told
Sara Sharif’s head may have been covered with “home-made hoods” made of plastic bags and parcel tape, the court heard.
In the month before the child died, her stepmother Beinash Batool allegedly bought 18 rolls of parcel tape online within nine days, jurors were told.
Police later found “strange-looking objects” in the wheelie bins that were “plastic bags wrapped up with parcel tape”, some of which had traces of Sara’s blood on, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said.
He continued: “The prosecution suggest that it is in fact obvious what these items were.
“They are homemade hoods. They had been placed over Sara’s head, we suggest, and then taped in place.”
The trial heard that fingerprints allegedly belonging to her father, Urfan Sharif, were found on one of the bags that was tested by forensics and on the non-adhesive side of a bit of parcel tape.
Neighbour heard ‘single high pitched scream’ two days before Sara died, court told
Neighbour heard a “single high-pitched scream” of “someone in pain” two days before Sara Sharif died, jurors were told.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said neighbours who spoke to police after the 10-year-old’s death said “they had never seen or heard anything which caused them any concern”.
However, a woman had recalled that “she heard a noise that she considered very much out of the ordinary run of the noise from a family house” on 6 August 2023, the prosecutor said.
He continued: “It was a single high-pitched scream, which lasted a couple of seconds and stopped suddenly.
“It sounded to her like the scream of someone in pain, as she put it ‘it didn’t sound good’.”
The prosecution allege Sara died two days later on 8 August last year and the defendants flew to Pakistan the following day.
Sara Sharif began wearing a hijab to conceal her injuries, prosecution suggest
The Old Bailey heard that Sara Sharif began wearing a hijab to school in January 2023 and was the only one in her household to wear one.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury: “The prosecution suggest that the fact that Sara began to wear the hijab at around this time is indicative of the need to conceal injuries to her face and head from the outside world.”
The court heard that Sara’s primary school noticed a bruise under her left eye in June 2022 as well as a bruise on her chin and a dark mark on her right eye in March 2023.
When her year four and five teacher asked Sara about “two distinct bruises” in March 2023, the child “acted coy and tried to hide them”, Mr Elwyn Jones said.
He continued: “[The teacher] observed that Sara would often pull her hijab to hide her face if she did not want to speak or was being told off.
“Sara gave multiple conflicting stories as to how she got the bruises.”
Neighbour heard sounds of ‘smacking’ followed by ‘gut-wrenching screams’, court told
The court heard that a former neighbour, Chloe Redwin, who used to live above Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool at a previous address in 2020, would hear sounds of “smacking” from their home.
“They were shockingly loud and would be followed by ‘gut-wrenching screams’ of young female children,” prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury.
“Over the screaming she would hear the mother shout, ‘shut up’ and sometimes the sounds of further smacking would be heard followed by shouting.”
The same neighbour said she would often hear children screaming, followed by their mother shouting “shut the f*** up” and “go to your room you f****** bastard”, the court heard.
“Ms Redwin would also frequently hear the mother refer to the children as ‘c****’,” the prosecutor said.
Ms Redwin said she heard shouting and screaming at “any time of the day or night”, but that she noticed it did not occur when the “father of the household” was at home, he continued.
She said she “often” said hello to Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, and that she thought he was “conscious of the noise his family made, because on occasions he would apologise for it”.
Ring doorbell removed before family fled, jury told
The court heard that a video doorbell had been removed from the family home before the defendants fled to Pakistan – leaving Sara Sharif’s body inside.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told the jury the doorbell could have provided a “rich source of evidence” of all the comings and goings in the month before the 10-year-old was killed.
“What is odd is that when the police went to the house after Urfan Sharif’s phone call about Sara….that Ring doorbell had been removed,” he said.
The doorbell’s bracket was still visible to the exterior of the front door, the jury were told.
“You might want to ask yourselves why that would have been done and what its removal might tell you about the presence of mind of whoever removed it,” he added.
Trial resumes
The trial has resumed at the Old Bailey.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC is expected to continue opening the crown’s case against the defendants on Tuesday.
Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 29, and uncle Faisal Malik, 28, deny murdering the 10-year-old and causing or allowing her death.
What trial heard yesterday
- 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”, the court heard.
- The Old Bailey was told that Sara had suffered dozens of injuries including “probable human bite marks”, a burn from an iron and scald burns from hot water before her death. A post-mortem examination also revealed she had been “beaten” with objects and had suffered damage to the brain, jurors were told.
- Opening the trial on Monday, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said all three defendants had played a part in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara leading to her death.
- He said police found Sara’s body in a bunk bed in her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year after her father called police at 2.47am and confessed to killing her. During the eight-and-a-half minute call, he told the operator: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died.”
- On arrival at Hammond Road, police found the property was quiet, very tidy and seemingly empty before discovering the body next to a note in her father’s handwriting, Mr Emlyn Jones said. The note allegedly stated: “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. I am running away because I am scared.”
- 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.
- 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.
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
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