Father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif, 10, to face trial in October accused of her murder

Three members of 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s family will go on trial accused of her murder in October.

The child's body was discovered at her home in Woking in Surrey, on 10 August last year.

The child’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother, Beinash Batool, 29, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 28, are accused of killing the youngster.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty to murder and to causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December, 2022 and 9 August, 2023.

All three appeared at the Old Bailey by video-link on Friday as Judge Mark Lucraft set a date for their trial on 1 October.

The judge confirmed the case would take up to six weeks and be heard before High Court judge Mr Justice Cavanagh.

A previous court hearing was told police found Sara’s body under a blanket on a bunk bed at her home after receiving a call from Pakistan, which lasted eight minutes and 34 seconds, at 2.47am on 10 August.

It is alleged the defendants had booked a flight to the country two days earlier.

Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Sara was found to have “a constellation of healed and healing injuries”.

The day before her body was discovered, the three defendants had left the UK for Pakistan with five children.

They returned to the UK on 13 September and were arrested on landing at Gatwick Airport.

The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, appeared from Belmarsh and Bronzefield prisons and were further remanded into custody.

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