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Sara Sharif’s mother hardly recognised her ‘bruised and swollen’ body

Sara’s body was found at a property in Hammond Road, Woking on August 10

Cormac Pearson
Wednesday 06 September 2023 09:04 BST
Sara Sharif’s mother ‘did not recognise her’ in mortuary

The mother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif has spoken of the grief she felt when she went to identify her daughter’s body in the mortuary.

Sara’s body was found at home in Woking after police were called from Pakistan by her father on August 10 and a post-mortem examination later found she had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time.

She was living with her father Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool when she died.

Speaking on Polish television programme Uwaga! on the TVN Channel, Olga Sharif said: “One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised.

“Even now, when I close my eyes I can see what my baby looked like.”

Mr Sharif, 41, Ms Batool, 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28, are thought to have travelled to Islamabad on August 9 and are wanted by police for questioning.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13-years-old, Surrey Police said.

Sara’s grandfather previously told the BBC that her death was an “accident” and three family members who left the UK for Pakistan will “ultimately” return to face police questioning.

Muhammad Sharif said he saw his son Urfan Sharif, Sara’s father, soon after he arrived in the city of Jhelum, in the South Asian country, and said he had fled the UK out of “fear”.

Surrey Police are appealing for information to help them piece together a picture of Sara’s lifestyle prior to her death.

Surrey County Council previously told the PA news agency Sara was known to the local authority.

Authorities in Pakistan are searching for the trio and lawyers in the UK have said the nation’s government is unlikely to block an extradition request in connection to Sara’s death.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan but people have been returned from the Asian country before.

The full interview with Ms Sharif will air on the Polish TV programme at 7.55pm local time on Wednesday.

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