Father, Stepmother and Uncle of Sara Sharif Charged With her Murder

Undated police handout photo of Sara Sharif, a ten-year-old who was found dead in where was believed to be her home in woking, Surrey, on Aug. 10, 2023. Surrey Police

The father, stepmother and uncle of ten-year-old Sara Sharif—whose body was found at her home in Woking, Surrey last month—have been charged with her murder.

Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28, landed at Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening on a flight, via Dubai, from Sialkot, in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The trio have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child and are due to appear at Guildford magistrates’ court, where their case will be transferred to a crown court.

They will not be given the opportunity to plea to the charges and are expected to go on trial next year, probably at Guildford Crown Court.

Sara’s body was discovered on August 10 and Mr. Sharif and the others are believed to have flown to Pakistan the day before with five other children, aged between one and 13.

‘Multiple and Extensive Injuries’

A post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time.

Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif—who is of Polish origin and met Sara’s father in London in 2001—was notified of the development by Surrey Police and is being supported by specialist officers.

Surrey Police said on Thursday: “This has been an extremely fast-moving, challenging and complex enquiry and we remain absolutely committed to conducting a thorough investigation into Sara’s death.”

Last month another uncle, Imran Sharif, in Pakistan told Sky News he understood Sara “fell down the stairs and broke her neck” and her father panicked and went to Pakistan.

PA Media contributed to this report.