Sara Sharif
Publicity photo of Sara Sharif
Born(2013-01-11)11 January 2013
Slough, Berkshire, England
Died10 August 2023(2023-08-10) (aged 10)
Woking, Surrey, England
Cause of deathDeath by multiple, extensive injuries
Parents
  • Urfan Sharif (father)
  • Olga Sharif (mother)
RelativesBeinash Batool (stepmother who was homeschooling all of Urfan's children)

Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl, was discovered dead in her family's residence in Woking, Surrey, England, on 10 August 2023.[1][2][3] Her death appears to have been caused by injuries. The three suspects fled to Pakistan[4][3] and were arrested on their return to the UK. They were charged with murder and remanded in custody.

Sara Sharif

Sara Sharif was born on 11 January 2013 in Slough, Berkshire.[5][3] Her father is Urfan Sharif, a Pakistani Muslim taxi driver who moved to the UK in 2001.[5][6] Her mother is Olga (née Domin), a Polish Catholic.[5] In 2009, the couple married and in 2010 had a son.[5][6] The couple separated in 2015 and later divorced, after which the children lived with Olga, but in 2019 custody of them was awarded to Urfan, after which they lived in Horsell, Woking with him, his wife Beinash Baitool, the couple's four children and Urfan's brother.[5][6] Olga, who objected to them being raised Muslim, had little contact with her children during the time they lived in Woking.[5] Sara was known to social services and in April 2023, she was taken out of primary school due to being "bullied for wearing the hijab"[7] therefore she was being homeschooled by her stepmother.[6]

Discovery of the body and investigation

Sharif's body was found at her residence on Hammond Road, Horsell, during the early hours of 10 August.[2][3] Surrey Police identified Urfan Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool, and his brother Faisal Malik as persons of interest.[4] All three departed from the UK for Islamabad, Pakistan on 9 August, a day before Sara's body was found.[8][3] Urfan Sharif made a 999 call from Pakistan shortly after he arrived in Islamabad with his partner, brother, and five children.[9] On 15 August, a post-mortem was carried out, which discovered that she had suffered numerous and severe injuries over an extended period.[9] The exact cause of her death remains undetermined, but according to an inquest it is unlikely that it was a natural occurrence.[4][3] The inquest was adjourned until 29 February.[3] On 12 September, police raided the house of Urfan Sharif's father in Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan and recovered the five children in good condition, after which they were put in care.[8][10]

International manhunt

Authorities initiated an international search to locate the suspects.[2] Two police teams in Jhelum were actively searching for Urfan Sharif. There is no official extradition agreement in place between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.[9] The police made a new request for information two weeks after the discovery of Sharif's body, urging anyone who had contact with her to come forward with information.[2] On 13 September, the three suspects were arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of murder after disembarking a flight from Sialkot via Dubai.[8] On 14 September, they were all charged with murder along with an additional charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. They were remanded in custody ahead of a hearing on 15 September at Guildford Magistrates' Court.[11] They appeared before London's Old Bailey on 19 September 2023 via videolink.[12] A plea hearing will take place on 1 December 2023 and they are due to stand trial in September 2024.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Sara Sharif murder investigation: Latest updates on death of girl, 10, in Woking - what we know". Yahoo News. 5 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sara Sharif murder probe: Fresh appeal two weeks after girl found dead". BBC News. 24 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sara Sharif's cause of death 'not yet ascertained', inquest hears
  4. 1 2 3 Ahmed, Nabiha (29 August 2023). "Cause of Sara Sharif's death likely to be 'unnatural', inquest hears". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mother of Sara Sharif says her daughter's 'behaviour changed' after moving in with father
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sara Sharif: a month of unanswered question about 10-year-old's death
  7. ↑ Correspondent, David Woode, Crime (24 September 2023). "Sara Sharif 'taught at home' after being bullied for wearing hijab". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 September 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 3 "Sara Sharif: Three relatives arrested on suspicion of murder". BBC News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Sara Sharif murder inquiry: Girl known to authorities, council says". BBC News. 20 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Janjua, Haroon (11 September 2023). "Sara Sharif: Pakistani police recover five children from grandfather's house". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Sara Sharif: Father among three charged with murder of girl". BBC News. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Sara Sharif's father, stepmother and uncle appear in court over girl's murder". BBC News. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
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