A video of the moment police boarded a plane and arrested Sara Sharif’s alleged killers has been played in court, in which the 10-year-old girl’s stepmother tells officers: “I think they’re killing us.” searching”.
Beinash Batool, 30; Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42; and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, had fled to Pakistan the day after Sara died at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 8 last year.
Jurors watched CCTV footage of the family as they prepared to board a flight from Heathrow Airport.
Surrey Police found Sara’s body on a bunk bed after Sharif called from Pakistan to say he had hit her “too much” for being “naughty”.
The girl had suffered dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks, in what prosecutors allege was a campaign of abuse that culminated in her death.
This is the moment Beinash Batool, 30; Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42 (pictured); and his uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, were arrested at Gatwick Airport on September 13.
The three were arrested while on board a plane at Gatwick Airport returning from Dubai.
Faisal Malik, brother of Urfan Sharif and uncle of the girl Sara Shariff, arrested at Gatwick Airport
Sara Sharif, whose body was found under a blanket on a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
On September 6, 2023, a press conference was broadcast in Pakistan in which Sharif and Batool complained that their family was being harassed.
On September 13 last year, police received information that the three accused would arrive at Gatwick Airport on a flight from Dubai that same afternoon.
On Friday, jurors were shown clips of the officers’ body-worn video, capturing the moment police boarded the plane and detained the defendants, who were flying business class, at 7:42 p.m. seven minutes after landing.
As the officers approached, Batool raised his hand and said, “I think they’re looking for us.”
Sharif, who was sitting next to him, was asked if he had any items or bags on the flight and replied no.
After being taken off the plane, the defendants were arrested and put into police vans.
The next day, police interviewed each defendant, but they declined to comment.
It was also revealed today that social workers refused to take action against the family of 10-year-old Sara Sharif before she was murdered, despite teachers repeatedly seeing bruises on her face, a court heard.
Urfan Sharif was arrested at Gatwick Airport after police received information that the three accused were arriving on a flight from Dubai.
Father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a weeks-long campaign of abuse against the 10-year-old girl that culminated with his death last year.
Sara’s school had referred the family to social services after she gave different explanations to different staff members about the bruising on her face.
Six days after the referral was made to Surrey social services, staff had already decided not to intervene and Sara was withdrawn from school after four weeks.
Four months later she was found dead at her home in Hammond Road, Woking, on August 10, 2023.
Sara suffered at least 71 external injuries and was regularly tortured and beaten in the months before her death, the Old Bailey has heard.
Father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a weeks-long campaign of abuse against the 10-year-old girl, and that culminated in his death last year.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and his uncle, McDonald’s worker Faisal Malik, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
Jurors today were read entries relating to Sara from her school’s online child protection monitoring system.
On June 6, 2022, a teacher reported that Sara had been seen with a bruise under her left eye.
During the proceedings, the court was shown photographs of the family’s home in Surrey.
Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
Sara at first did not want to explain how she got the injury, before saying that another child had hit her.
On March 10, 2023, a report was filed about a staff member who saw a bruise on Sara’s chin and a dark bruise on her eye.
Reading the agreed facts to the jury, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said: “Sara said her eye was very itchy and the mark on her chin was from a fall on skates.”
“The director spoke to her and Sara lowered her head and refused to lift it or show it.”
Sara then gave a different explanation for the bruise, saying that a boy had hit her.
Emlyn Jones said: “She was reluctant to speak and kept her face down and only spoke with her face buried with her arm on the table.”
‘The school contacted their advice point and a referral was made to social services.
“Beinash Batool learned of referral to social services”.
Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collarbone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separated fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and the hyoid bone in her neck.
CCTV footage captured a car arriving at Heathrow’s short-stay car park with Urfan in the driver’s seat.
Sara Sharif’s family was caught on CCTV passing through passport security at London Heathrow Airport on August 9 last year.
On March 16, 2023, six days after the bruise was detected, social services made the decision to take no further action against the family, Emlyn Jones said.
Records showed that on March 28, 2023, Batool approached Sara’s class teacher and told her that Sara had a mark on her cheek caused by playing with a pen.
The teacher recorded that the bruise appeared to correspond to a pen mark.
At 9:40 am on April 17, 2023, the school received an email from Urfan saying that Sara would be homeschooled with immediate effect.
Continuing to read the facts agreed upon between the prosecution and the defense, Emlyn Jones said that a woman named Hannah Newham who was cleaning the apartment above Sharif’s house said she occasionally heard the sound of “a male voice raised in anger.” coming from the apartment. .
Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collarbone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separated fingers, bones near the wrist of each hand, two ribs and the hyoid bone in her neck.
After the murder, Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan, leaving Sara’s body in the three-bedroom house in Woking.
They were arrested more than a month later, on September 13 last year, at Gatwick Airport, having returned from Dubai.
Sharif, Batool and Malik deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.
