Sara Sharif: Stepmother speaks out for first time
The body of 10 year old Sara was found at her home in Woking in August
The stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif has spoken publicly for the first time since the little girl was found dead.
Footage was sent to broadcasters of Beinash Batool speaking alongside Sara's father, Urfan Sharif.
The pair, along with Mr Sharif's brother Faisal Malik, 28, fled the UK for Pakistan after Sara was found dead and alone at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered "multiple and extensive injuries" over a "sustained and extended" period of time.
In a clip of the footage posted online by Sky, Batool, 29, describes Sara's death as "an incident" and says that she and Mr Sharif, 41, are willing to co-operate with UK authorities over the case.
She said: "Sara's death was an incident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on."
Ms Batool denied reports that one of Mr Sharif's brothers claimed Sara had fallen down the stairs and broken her neck.
She added: "All of our family members have gone into hiding as everyone is scared for their safety.
"The kids are unable to attend school as they're afraid to leave the house.
"No-one is leaving the house, the groceries have run out and there is no food for the kids as the adults are unable to leave their homes out of fear of safety (sic).
"That is why we have gone into hiding. Lastly we are willing to co-operate with the UK authorities and fight our case in court."
It is not clear under what conditions the footage was filmed and Ms Batool's claims have not been verified.
Sharif and Batool left Britain with five children aged between one and 13, and Surrey Police want to question them over Sara's death.
The cause of Sara's death is yet to be established but a post mortem revealed she'd suffered multiple and extensive injuries likely to have been caused over an extended period of time.
Surrey Police are continuing to appeal for information to help them gain a picture of Sara's life.
If you have information report it to Surrey Police through their Major Incident Public Portal
Alternatively, you can report information by calling 101, quoting Operation Unison.
If you do not wish to speak to police, you can call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.