Father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif remanded in custody charged with murder

Split image. Left image: Faisal Shahzad Malik. Centre image: Urfan Sharif. Right image: Beenish Batool.
Urfan Sharif (middle), his partner Beinash Batool (right), and Urfan's brother, Faisal Malik (left) appeared in court on Friday.

The father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif have been remanded into custody by a district judge after being charged with the 10-year-old's murder.

Urfan Sharif, 41, Beinash Batool, 29, and Faisal Malik, 28, appeared at Guildford Magistrates' Court on Friday after being arrested at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday evening.

The defendants, who spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses, have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.

Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead at her home in Woking on August 10. Credit: Surrey Police

They did not enter any pleas.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram remanded the defendants, from Hammond Road in Woking, into custody before they appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

The trio travelled to Pakistan a day before police discovered Sara's body in Woking on August 10.

(From left to right) A court artist sketch of Beinash Batool, Faisal Malik and Urfan Sharif appearing at Guildford Magistrates' Court. Credit: Elizabeth Cook / PA

A post-mortem examination found the youngster had suffered "multiple and extensive injuries" over a "sustained and extended" period of time.

The court heard her cause of death remains to be established.

They were arrested on Wednesday evening at Gatwick Airport as they disembarked a flight from Dubai at around 7.45pm.

Police said Sara's mother, Olga Sharif, has been informed of this latest development and is being supported by specialist officers.

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