Sara Sharif endured ‘brutal campaign of abuse’, court hears

A 10-year-old girl endured a "brutal campaign of abuse" in the weeks leading up to her death, a court has heard.

Sara Sharif sustained numerous injuries, including bruises, burns and broken bones, and began wearing a hijab to conceal facial injuries, it emerged on Tuesday (15).

She was found dead in her bed at the family home in Woking on August 10, 2023.

A post-mortem examination found "signs of traumatic head injury", apparent scald burns on the inside of her ankles and bite marks - five to her left lower arm and one to her inner thigh - that were "probably human".

Other injuries included to Sara's ribs, shoulder blades, fingers and 11 separate fractures to the spine.

Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42, is currently on trial at the Old Bailey, alongside her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 28.

All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

According to reports, Sara started wearing the hijab in January 2023, seven months before her death. A neighbour noted it was "unusual" as she was the only member of the extended family to wear the religious headscarf.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC said Sara wore the hijab to hide injuries on her face and head from others.

Her primary school noticed a bruise under her left eye in June 2022, another on her chin, and a dark mark near her right eye in March 2023, the court was told.

When asked by teachers, Sara gave different stories about how she got the injuries and used her hijab to cover her face, Emlyn Jones KC said. Later, she was withdrawn from school and started home schooling in April 2023.

A woman who lived near the family's former home in West Byfleet reported hearing “disturbingly loud” sounds of hitting, along with “heart-wrenching screams” from a young girl. The jury heard that Batool often shouted abusive phrases in the house.

The neighbour also mentioned hearing loud bangs from the flat that sounded like someone was being hit. She noticed Sara often putting nappies and rubbish into their bins outside.

Chloe Redwin, another neighbour, said she heard loud smacking noises from Sara’s house, followed by the distressing screams of young girls. Over the screams, she would hear the mother shouting, “shut up,” and sometimes further smacking noises would follow. The family moved to Woking in late February or March last year.

A neighbour, Judith Lozeron, reported hearing an unusual noise on August 6, two days before Sara’s death.

She described it as a single high-pitched scream that lasted a few seconds and ended abruptly, sounding like someone in pain; she added, “it didn’t sound good.”

The court heard that Batool had ordered rolls of parcel tape from Amazon, which was found on bundled plastic bags in a bin.

Using photographs of a mannequin the same size as Sara, the prosecutor said it was clear these were homemade hoods that had been taped over Sara’s face and head.

He explained that the plastic was stained with Sara’s blood, and a cricket bat found in the garden also had her blood on it.

Her hair, pulled out by the root, was discovered on the parcel tape, and her DNA was found on a vacuum cleaner handle.

In May 2021, Batool messaged her sister, accusing Urfan of beating Sara and said the girl was “covered in bruises, literally beaten black.”

She expressed concern for Sara, saying, “the poor girl can’t walk.”

This shows that Sara was being hurt for at least two years before her death, and Batool was aware of it but did not intervene, the prosecutor argued.

He added that Sara’s death resulted from the actions of all three adults in the house; the regular abuse and mistreatment of the little girl could not have continued without their cooperation and support.

He said Sara could not have been restrained without supervision, implying it required teamwork. If the main person restraining her left, the others would have likely freed her.

The court previously heard that after the three defendants left the country, Urfan called Surrey police from Pakistan and admitted, “I beat her up; it wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”

The day before Sara's body was found, her father, step-mother and uncle left the UK for Pakistan with Sharif's five other children.

The jury was played a recording of a "calm" phone call on the evening of August 8, 2023 in which Batool asks about booking flights to Islamabad.

Sara's body was found in the family's vacant house after an emergency call, apparently from Pakistan, alerting officers was made by a man identifying himself as the father.

A note from her father found next to her body appeared to contain a confession, the prosecutor told jurors.

"Love you Sara," said the note, which was shown to the jury. A second page added: "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."

Another page read: "I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her but I lost it." A handwriting expert who analysed the note concluded it was written by Urfan.

The three defendants were arrested in September last year after disembarking from a flight from Dubai.

The trial in the case continues.

(with inputs from agencies)