- Neighbors heard hitting and crying.
- Autopsy shows possible “bite marks.”
- Sara started to wear hijab months before her death.
Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl, was found dead in August 2023 at her home in Woking, London. Her death is believed to be the result of prolonged abuse, including burns, scalds, and suspected bite marks.
As the trial for the tragic death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in London progresses, chilling new details are surfacing, exposing the horrifying abuse the young girl endured prior to her death.
Recent developments suggest that Sara gave conflicting accounts of how she sustained injuries to her body. Among these injuries, forensic evidence reveals
“probable human bite marks.” It was also disclosed that Sara had begun wearing a hijab months before her death, likely to cover bruises on her face and head.
Sara’s lifeless body was discovered in August 2023 at her home in Woking, a town southwest of London. Prosecutors argue that she was subjected to a prolonged period of
“serious and repeated violence” leading up to her death.
A post-mortem examination revealed multiple injuries, including burns from an iron, scalds from hot water, and suspected bite marks. Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif (42), his wife and Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool (30), and her uncle, Faisal Malik (29), are currently on trial for her murder at London’s Old Bailey.
In addition to the murder charges, all three are also accused of causing or allowing the death of a child. Each defendant denies the charges and has shifted blame onto one another, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones informed the jury that Sara began wearing the hijab in January 2023 to hide injuries on her face and head, which had been noticed at school in June 2022 and March 2023. When questioned, Sara gave inconsistent explanations for how she got the injuries. She continued wearing the headscarf to conceal the wounds from teachers, and in April 2023, she was pulled out of school and home-schooled.
Jones further revealed that neighbors reported hearing loud sounds of hitting, followed by the screams and cries of the young girl.
Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, has admitted to assaulting her but claims he did not intend to kill her.
He reportedly told police,
“I beat her up. It wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.” A note found near Sara’s body, allegedly written by Urfan, read: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
The prosecutor emphasized that all three defendants played a part in the abuse and violence leading to Sara’s death.
While Urfan blames Batool, Batool accuses Urfan of being a “violent disciplinarian,” and Malik denies knowing about any abuse. The trial is expected to run until December.