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.
On Wednesday, jurors are expected to hear details of her post-mortem examination.
Earlier, the Old Bailey heard 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 her home 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 for her murder before Mr Justice Cavanagh alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle Faisal Malik, 29.
Key Points
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Sara Sharif’s head covered with ‘home-made hoods’ of plastic bags and parcel tape, court told
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Pictured: Note found by Sara’s body saying ‘It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’
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Police officer recalls finding Sara’s body under neatly placed white sheet
Police bodycam footage from night Sara Sharif’s body was discovered
09:07 , Holly Evans
Pictured: Note found by Sara’s body saying ‘It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’
08:00 , Jabed Ahmed
A note that was found by Sara Sharif’s body in her father’s handwriting has been pictured in court.
On arrival at the 10-year-old’s family home, police found the property was quiet, very tidy and seemingly empty before discovering her body next to a note in her father’s handwriting, the Old Bailey heard.
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.”
Recap: What trial heard on Tuesday morning
06:02 , Jabed Ahmed
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Schoolgirl Sara Sharif was made to wear a ‘home-made hood’ of plastic bags and parcel tape, the prosecution allege.
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The 10-year-old’s blood was found on a cricket bat and a vacuum cleaner at the family home, the court heard.
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Bruises found on Sara’s body matched a belt buckle and plastic-coated metal pole found in an outhouse at the property – where police also found a rolling pin with traces of her DNA, the jury heard.
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A neighbour heard a “high-pitched scream” two days before Sara was killed, court told.
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Another neighbour at a previous address claimed she heard “smacking” sounds followed by “gut-wrenching” screams at the family home.
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Sara Sharif began wearing a hijab to school in January 2023 “to conceal injuries to her face and head from the outside world,” the prosecution suggested.
Ring doorbell removed before family fled, jury told
04:01 , Jabed Ahmed
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.
Neighbour heard sounds of ‘smacking’ followed by ‘gut-wrenching screams’, court told
02:01 , Jabed Ahmed
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”.
Sara Sharif hooded and beaten during two years of abuse, murder trial told
Tuesday 15 October 2024 23:59 , Jabed Ahmed
Sara Sharif was hooded, restrained and beaten with a belt buckle and pole in a campaign of abuse lasting more than two years before her death, the court heard.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said evidence, including a soiled nappy, makeshift hoods, and a variety of potential weapons such as rolling pins and a cricket bat, suggested more than one adult was involved.
A post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered dozens of injuries including “probable human bite marks”, an iron burn and scalding from hot water.
There was also evidence that she had been restrained with her head covered with “homemade hoods” comprised of parcel tape and plastic bags, jurors have heard.
Fingerprints allegedly belonging to her father, 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.
Sara Sharif’s stepmother told sisters about violence in WhatsApps, court hears
Tuesday 15 October 2024 21:59 , Jabed Ahmed
Sara Sharif’s stepmother told her sisters about violence against the 10-year-old spanning at least two years before her death, saying “something happens to Sara I will not be able to forgive myself”, a court has heard.
Beinash Batool had blamed her husband Urfan Sharif for beating the 10-year-old “black” in a series of WhatsApp messages dating back to 2019, the Old Bailey was told.
But the prosecution alleged Batool, 30, minicab driver Sharif, 42, and his brother Faisal Malik, 29, all played a part in Sara’s death after being hooded, restrained, burned, bitten and hit with a belt buckle and pole.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said the messages Batool sent to her sisters showed “all was not well” in the household and cast Sharif as an “angry parent”.
In May 2021, she messaged her sister: “Urfan beat the crap out of Sara. She’s covered in bruises, literally beaten black.
“I feel really sorry for Sara, poor girl can’t walk. I really want to report him.”
Pictured: Note allegedly found by Sara Sharif’s body saying ‘It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’
Tuesday 15 October 2024 21:44 , Jabed Ahmed
Note allegedly found by Sara Sharif’s body: ‘Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’
Sara Sharif began wearing a hijab to conceal her injuries, prosecution suggest
Tuesday 15 October 2024 21:03 , Jabed Ahmed
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.”
What trial heard yesterday
Tuesday 15 October 2024 20:03 , Jabed Ahmed
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
Full report: ‘Gut-wrenching screams’ and note that read ‘I lost it’: Sara Sharif jury told of campaign of abuse
Tuesday 15 October 2024 19:22 , Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report on the second day of the trial from our crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin:
‘Gut-wrenching screams’ and note that read ‘I lost it’: Sara Sharif trial
Sara Sharif’s father sobbed as he confessed to killing his daughter, court hears
Tuesday 15 October 2024 19:02 , Jabed Ahmed
Sara Sharif’s father sobbed as he confessed to killing his daughter, saying “I’m a cruel father” in a phone call to police, the court heard.
During the call from Pakistan, which lasted eight minutes and 34 seconds, the taxi driver can be heard crying as he confessed to killing his daughter, refusing to reveal his location and saying he would hand himself in to Woking police station.
In the phone call, played to jurors on Tuesday, an emotional Sharif asked the operator to write down his address, spelling out his postcode, and telling them to “send someone” to his home on Hammond Road, Woking.
In the recording, Sharif said Sara had been “naughty” over the last three to four weeks and he was “giving her punishment” to “sort her out”, adding “I did something and she died”.
Earlier in the call, the operator can be heard asking Sharif “is everything okay?” to which he responds: “Nothing is okay.”
At one point, Sharif can be heard getting so emotional that the operator says he cannot understand what he is saying and tells him to “take a deep breath”.
Sharif continued: “I did legally punish my daughter and she died.
“I left the home in a panic.
“I killed my daughter. I killed my daughter.”
Listen: Sara Sharif’s father tells operator he’s killed daughter in harrowing 999 call
Tuesday 15 October 2024 18:39 , Jabed Ahmed
Neighbour heard ‘single high pitched scream’ two days before Sara died, court told
Tuesday 15 October 2024 18:02 , Jabed Ahmed
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.
Pictured: Note found by Sara’s body saying ‘It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter’
Tuesday 15 October 2024 17:18 , Tara Cobham
A note that was found by Sara Sharif’s body in her father’s handwriting has been pictured in court.
On arrival at the 10-year-old’s family home, police found the property was quiet, very tidy and seemingly empty before discovering her body next to a note in her father’s handwriting, the Old Bailey heard.
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.”
Stepmother told sister Urfan Sharif beat Sara ‘black’ in messages dating back to 2019
Tuesday 15 October 2024 16:17 , Amy-Clare Martin
Sara Sharif’s stepmother told her sister if “something happens to Sara I will not be able to forgive myself” in messages documenting two-years of abuse, the court heard.
Beinash Batool had blamed her husband Urfan Sharif for beating the 10-year-old “black” in a series of WhatsApp messages dating back to 2019, the Old Bailey was told.
In May 2021, she messaged her sister: “Urfan beat the crap out of Sara. She’s covered in bruises, literally beaten black.
“I feel really sorry for Sara, poor girl can’t walk. I really want to report him.”
However the prosecution allege Ms Batool, 30, minicab driver Mr Sharif, 42, and his brother Faisal Malik, 29, all played a part in Sara’s death.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told jurors: “As a minimum, it shows that Sara was being hurt and injured as long ago as spring of 2021 – so that is more than two years before her death – and that Beinash Batool was aware and even on her version of events, she didn’t stop it.”
In February 2022, the court heard she told another sister that Mr Sharif was “beating Sara up … ‘cos she’s being naughty”, adding: “Something happens to Sara I will not be able to forgive myself.”
That summer Ms Batool complained that she could not cover up the bruises, saying: “He beat Sara up yesterday and I can’t send her to school on Monday looking like that.”
Sara was taken out of school in April 2023 and died four months later.
Police officer recalls finding Sara’s body under neatly placed white sheet
Tuesday 15 October 2024 15:50 , Amy-Clare Martin
Police constable George Van Der Waart told the court he was dispatched to the Sharif family home shortly before 3am on 10 August, following Mr Sharif’s 999 call.
Giving evidence, he said he entered through an unlocked rear door and found the downstairs clean with no signs of any disturbance.
He discovered Sara’s body on a bunk bed in an upstairs bedroom with a fan switched on, he added.
“There was a blanket on the bed and…underneath the white sheet I could see a human shaped figure,” he told the Old Bailey. “I pulled back the cover and underneath was the body of a 10-year-old girl.”
He described her as being “placed” on the bed, where she was lying on her back. Asked about the sheet, he added: “It was neat on top literally like it had been laid there.”
Urfan Sharif’s 999 call played to court
Tuesday 15 October 2024 15:26 , Amy-Clare Martin
In a harrowing phone played to the court, jurors heard Urfan Sharif reporting his daughter’s death to Surrey Police, telling them: “I beat her up, I 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, but she… to sort her out.”
When asked if she was breathing, he said: “I tried to, to give her CPR, everything but I fail [sic], I left in a panic… She is dead I am telling you.”
He adds that he will return to the property and told the operator it happened about 36 hours ago. He added: “I’m a cruel father.”
Recap: What trial heard this morning
Tuesday 15 October 2024 15:11 , Amy-Clare Martin
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Schoolgirl Sara Sharif was made to wear a ‘home-made hood’ of plastic bags and parcel tape, the prosecution allege.
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The 10-year-old’s blood was found on a cricket bat and a vacuum cleaner at the family home, the court heard.
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Bruises found on Sara’s body matched a belt buckle and plastic-coated metal pole found in an outhouse at the property – where police also found a rolling pin with traces of her DNA, the jury heard.
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A neighbour heard a “high-pitched scream” two days before Sara was killed, court told.
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Another neighbour at a previous address claimed she heard “smacking” sounds followed by “gut-wrenching” screams at the family home.
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Sara Sharif began wearing a hijab to school in January 2023 “to conceal injuries to her face and head from the outside world,” the prosecution suggested.
Sara Sharif’s blood found on cricket bat at home, court told
Tuesday 15 October 2024 14:26 , Amy-Clare Martin
Sara Sharif’s blood was found on a cricket bat and a vacuum cleaner at the family home, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC also alleged that bruises found on the 10-year-old’s body matched a belt buckle and plastic-coated metal pole found in an outhouse at the property, where police also found a rolling pin with traces of her DNA.
The schoolgirl was subjected to a “campaign of abuse” and suffered “brutal” injuries in the weeks before she died, it is alleged. All three defendants deny charges of murder and causing or allowing her death.
‘I cannot even imagine what happened to make crying or screaming child become immediately silent,’ trial hears from neighbour
Tuesday 15 October 2024 14:00 , Tara Cobham
A former neighbour of Sara Sharif and her family heard screaming and noises that sounded like “someone had been hit or smacked”, the trial at the Old Bailey heard on Tuesday.
Rebecca Spencer said she heard the noises “from the moment” the Sharif family moved into a flat on Eden Grove in West Byfleet in around 2018 to 2019, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told jurors.
He said Ms Spencer thought the “banging and rattling” sounded like “someone was banging on and pushing at a door” as if trying to open it.
Reading a statement from Ms Spencer, Mr Emlyn Jones said: “On the occasions I would hear these banging and rattling sounds, they would often be accompanied by the sounds of a child crying or a screaming, followed by complete silence.
“On those occasions I can only describe the silence as ‘deathly quiet’ and I cannot even imagine what had happened to make the crying or screaming child become immediately silent.”
Ms Spencer said she thought two of the defendants, Sara’s father and stepmother, were living in the house at the time.
Sara Sharif’s primary school teacher describe her as ‘happy child’, jurors told
Tuesday 15 October 2024 13:30 , Tara Cobham
Sara Sharif’s primary school teacher described her as a “happy child”, jurors have been told.
Her year four and five teacher Helen Simmons said the 10-year-old was sometimes “sassy”, the Old Bailey heard during Sara’s murder trial on Tuesday.
Plastic coated metal pole found in outhouse a match to bruises on Sara’s body, jury told
Tuesday 15 October 2024 13:00 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 12:52 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 12:16 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 12:06 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 11:52 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 11:31 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 11:01 , Amy-Clare Martin
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 10:33 , Tara Cobham
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
Sara Sharif murder trial set to continue for second day today
Tuesday 15 October 2024 09:17 , Tara Cobham
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
Tuesday 15 October 2024 08:25 , Tara Cobham
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
What did Urfan Sharif say in his 999 call?
Tuesday 15 October 2024 07:00 , Holly Evans
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’
Tuesday 15 October 2024 04:00 , Holly Evans
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?
Tuesday 15 October 2024 01:00 , Holly Evans
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?
Monday 14 October 2024 22:00 , Holly Evans
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’
Monday 14 October 2024 20:00 , Holly Evans
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’
Recap: Key takeaways from today
Monday 14 October 2024 18:00 , Holly Evans
Opening the prosecution case against Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle, jurors at the Old Bailey heard:
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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
Monday 14 October 2024 17:00 , Holly Evans
Key dates in Sara Sharif death after alleged ‘campaign of abuse’
Trial adjourns for the day
Monday 14 October 2024 16:12 , Holly Evans
The trial of Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle has been adjourned for the day and will resume on Tuesday at 10.30am.
Defendants seeking to ‘deflect the blame’ onto one another
Monday 14 October 2024 15:50 , Holly Evans
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.
Mr Emlyn Jones KC said: “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, while Malik’s case is that whoever was responsible it was not him and he was unaware of what was going on.
Schoolgirl had suffered ‘disturbing’ bite marks
Monday 14 October 2024 15:08 , Holly Evans
Sara Sharif was “beaten” with objects and had suffered from human bite marks on her lower left arm and inner thigh, the court heard.
An examination of the 10-year-old’s body also found a “pattern of injuries” and “signs of traumatic brain injury”, the prosecution said.
Regarding the leg injury, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said it had “marks which indicated that the teeth had been dragged across the surface and with central bruising probably the result of suction.”
While Sharif and Malik had provided dental impressions for comparison which had ruled them out, Batool had refused to do so.
Other injuries included to Sara’s ribs, shoulder blades, fingers and 11 separate fractures to the spine, Mr Emlyn Jones said.
Beinash Batool described Sara’s death as an ‘incident’
Monday 14 October 2024 14:51 , Holly Evans
Following media interest in Sara’s death, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool appeared in a video clip which was shared and broadcast with Sky News.
In the short clip, Battol described her stepdaughter’s death as an “incident”.
She then went on to a “litany of complaints” about the conduct of the Pakistani police and their investigation.
She explains, at the end of the clip, that they have gone into hiding because they fear the police; but, she said, they were willing to comply with the UK authorities and to “fight our case in court”.
They were arrested a week later after boarding a flight to Gatwick on 13 September.
