Family members of 10-year-old girl Sara Sharif — including 41-year-old father Urfan Sharif, step-mother Beinash Batool, 29; and her uncle Faisal Malik, 28 — have pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in a UK court.
Sara Sharif, a British-Pakistani girl, was discovered dead at her home in Woking, southern England, on August 10, with a post-mortem revealing “multiple and extensive injuries” sustained over an extended period.
The defendants, appearing via video link from Belmarsh Prison and Bronzefield Prison, deny the allegations in the high-profile case.
Sara’s body was found following an emergency call made from Pakistan by a man claiming to be her father.
The house was empty, leading to an international manhunt with Interpol and the UK’s foreign ministry collaborating with Pakistani authorities.
The trio had left the UK for Pakistan a day before Sara’s body was discovered, accompanied by Sharif’s five other children.
Arrested in September upon their return from Dubai, the trial is scheduled to commence in September 2024, with an expected duration of six weeks.
The case has garnered significant attention, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding Sara Sharif’s tragic death.
