CCTV Photos showing Sara Sharif's family at Heathrow Airport released

10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking in August last year

Sara's family boarded a flight to Pakistan just hours before the 10-year-old was discovered by police
Author: Alex DukePublished 1st Nov 2024

CCTV photos of Sara Sharif's family boarding a flight from London Heathrow, just hours before the 10-year-old was found dead at her home in Woking.

The family flew to Pakistan - and in the photos of the CCTV, they are seen going through passport control and heading towards security.

Sara's father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik are accused of her murder - which they deny.

On August 10 2023 police found Sara's body in a bunkbed after Sharif called from Pakistan to say he had beaten Sara up "too much" for "being naughty".

On Thursday, jurors at the Old Bailey heard a series of WhatsApp messages between 2020 and 2023 in which Batool relayed to her sister Qandeela Saboohi beatings Sharif had allegedly carried out on Sara.

They were accompanied by pictures of a grim-faced and bruised Sara, with the message: "Look what he's doing. Delete the pictures."

Batool and Sharif have blamed each other for the violence in the family home in Woking, Surrey, with university student Malik claiming he was not involved.

Batool repeatedly complained to her sister that Sharif was hitting Sara for being "naughty" "rude and rebellious" and because she had cut up his clothes, hidden keys and torn up documents.

Ms Saboohi advised her to listen to the Koran, and when Batool talked about going to the police, told her to calm down.

As early as February 2020, Batool described Sharif as going on a "rampage" after spilling hot tea, saying he was "possessed".

Jurors previously heard from a neighbour that Sara Sharif "never smiled once" in the months before her death

She described an "anger attack" after a visit to a play centre and incidents in which Sharif broke photo frames and curtains.

Commenting on 10 photographs of Sara, she wrote: "This is how bad he is beating her ... I feel really sorry for her. He beat the crap out of her."

Batool said that Sara had cut her father's clothes for being mean and Sharif was "punishing her" by making her stay up all night doing "sit-ups".

She told her sister: "She's got a jinn in her. She reminds me of me when I was young."

Sara's father, stepmother and uncle are also accused of causing or allowing the death of a child. They deny all charges against them.

The trial continues.

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