Who killed Sara Sharif? Schoolgirl's stepmother and uncle decline to give evidence

Urfan Sharif, 42, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of years-long abuse which culminated in Sara Sharif's death.

James Harrison and James Cheng-Morris
Updated ·7-min read
What happened to Sara Sharif?
What happened to Sara Sharif?

The stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have declined to give evidence at the trial for the schoolgirl's murder.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of being party to years-long abuse which culminated in Sara's death last August.

Over two weeks in the witness box, Sara’s father, had blamed his wife for his daughter’s death before taking “full responsibility” for it on the seventh day.

Sara’s body was found in a bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, after Sharif called police on arrival in Islamabad, in Pakistan, the Old Bailey previously heard.

Sharif had left a note confessing to killing Sara on a pillow next to her body and told police in his call that he beat her up “too much”. The defendants were detained on a plane minutes after it touched down at Gatwick airport on 13 September last year.

Sara had suffered dozens of injuries, including multiple broken bones, burns, and human bite marks. Sharif admitted tying up the girl with packaging tape and hitting her with a cricket bat, metal pole and mobile phone, even whacking her in the stomach as she lay dying in Batool’s lap.

However, he denied biting her on the arm and thigh, burning her with a domestic iron and boiling water and putting her head in a hood as he meted out punishments for “naughty” behaviour.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC suggested all the defendants were involved in the violence against Sara, which had become “normalised” in the household. He said some of the abuse would have required two people, and that Sara had been forced to wear a nappy so she could be kept tied up for longer.

Lawyers for Batool and Malik indicated that neither would give evidence in their defence on Monday. Judge Mr Justice Cavanagh told jurors it meant that except for a few agreed facts, they would hear no more evidence in the case.

Sharif, Batool and Malik, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, deny murder and causing or allowing Sara’s death.

The judge sent the jury away until Wednesday morning, saying he would give them directions in law before barristers began their closing speeches.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of family members of Sara Sharif (left to right) Beinash Batool, (stepmother), Faisal Malik, (uncle) and Urfan Sharif, (father) appearing in the dock at Guildford Magistrates' Court, where they are accused of the murder of 10-year-old Sara. They have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child. The trio travelled to Pakistan a day before police discovered Sara's body in Woking on August 10. Picture date: Friday September 15, 2023.
Sara Sharif's stepmother Beinash Batool, left; uncle Faisal Malik, third right; and father Urfan Sharif, right; pictured here appearing at an earlier hearing at Guildford Magistrates' Court, are accused of her murder. (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

Sara was born on 11 January, 2013 in Slough, Berkshire, to Polish mother Olga Domin and father Urfan Sharif, a taxi driver from Pakistan who had lived in the UK since 2001.

The pair had married in 2009, but separated in 2015 and later divorced.

Sara lived with her mother initially, but after Sharif was handed custody in 2019 she moved in with him, his new wife Beinash Batool and Sharif’s brother Malik.

Sara’s teacher, Helen Simmons reported she was a “happy child” who could also be “sassy”.

Police handout : , , Image of Sara Sharif , , The trial into the death of Sara Sharif in Woking,
Sara Sharif was found dead on 10 August 2023. (PA)

In June 2022 her school noted she had a bruise under her left eye and in March 2023 it reported she had a bruise on her chin and a dark mark on her right eye.

The trial into her death has heard she began to wear a hijab to school from in January 2023, which was considered unusual as "she had never worn one before and neither did anyone else in the family”.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC speculated: “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.”

Chloe Redwin, a neighbour of the family, noted that when she complimented Sara’s headscarf, Batool shut down the conversation “in quite an aggressive way”.

Sara’s father Urfan Sharif granted custody of his daughter, who moves in with him, his wife and his brother

Sara’s school notes she had a bruise under her left eye

Sara begins to wear a hijab

Sara’s school notes she had a bruise on her chin and a dark mark on her right eye

Urfan Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik travel to Islamabad, Pakistan.

The body of Sara Sharif, 10, is found at the family's home in Woking, Surrey. A murder investigation is launched.

A post-mortem examination shows Sara suffered “multiple and extensive” injuries likely to have been caused over a “sustained and extended” period of time.

Surrey Police say they would like to speak to Sharif, Batool and Malik in relation to the investigation.

Surrey County Council confirms Sara was known to the local authority.

An inquest into Sara’s death is opened at Surrey Coroner’s Court and hears the precise cause of her death is “not yet ascertained”.

Sharif, Batool and Malik land in the UK at Gatwick Airport on a flight from Pakistan via Dubai, and are arrested on suspicion of murder.

Surrey Police says the trio have been charged with Sara's murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trio plead not guilty to murder and causing or allowing the death of a child and are remanded into custody.

Trial at the Old Bailey, in London, begins and hears Sara was “beaten” and suffered what were “probably human bite marks” before she died.

Jurors told neighbours heard a “single high-pitched scream” of “someone in pain” just days before Sara died and that her father had told police he was “cruel” over the phone while apparently confessing to her killing.

Court hears Sara had suffered more than 70 injuries in the run up to her death.

Expert witnesses tell the Old Bailey Sara had been strangled so severely in the months before her death a bone in her neck was broken.

Court hears Sara had 25 unexplained fractures, likely caused by “multiple episodes of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks”.

Neighbours give evidence, recounting conversations about Sara’s hijab and incidents of “fever pitch” screaming from the family home.

A neighbour claims Sara “never smiled once” in the months before her death.

Jurors told neighbours heard a girl scream “in pain” just two days before Sara’s death.

Court heard Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool suggested the 10-year-old had a “jinn in her” which was responsible for her behaviour.

Sara’s father Urfan Sharif takes to the witness stand to begin his defence.

Urfan Sharif denied beating his daughter and instead claimed his wife was the “crazy” one in the house.

Urfan Sharif claims he caught his “psycho” wife tying Sara up with packing tape.

Urfan Sharif tells jurors he “takes full responsibility” for his daughter’s death. He later states he did not mean to kill her.

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