The father, stepmother, and uncle of a 10-year-old girl, whose death triggered an international manhunt in Pakistan, now face charges for her murder in a UK court. This court appearance followed their arrest on Wednesday, shortly after their arrival from Dubai, where they had spent a month in South Asia.
Sara Sharif’s lifeless body was tragically discovered at the family residence near Woking, located in southern England, on August 10. Subsequent post-mortem examination results revealed that she had endured “multiple and extensive injuries” over an extended period.
The trio, including Sara’s father, 41-year-old Urfan Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, had traveled to Pakistan to stay with relatives before the discovery of her lifeless body.
The three defendants, flanked by police officers, appeared in a Guildford magistrates’ court in southern England. They confirmed their names, dates of birth, and addresses, but no pleas were entered during the brief hearing. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram ordered them to be held in custody.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday at London’s Old Bailey. Surrey Police previously reported that the trio had flown to Islamabad on August 9, the day before Sara’s body was discovered. Detectives disclosed that an emergency call from Pakistan, identifying the man as the father, alerted officers to Sara’s early morning death.
The house remained empty as the manhunt persisted, with Interpol and Britain’s foreign ministry collaborating closely with Pakistani authorities.
Among the group that had accompanied the adults to Pakistan, five individuals claiming to be Sara’s siblings, aged between one and thirteen, were found at Urfan Sharif’s father’s residence on Monday.
Sara’s Polish mother, Olga Sharif, recounted her harrowing experience identifying her daughter’s small, battered body at the mortuary last month. She explained how one of Sara’s cheeks appeared swollen, while the other side of her face bore signs of bruising.
The history unfolds with Olga and Urfan’s separation in 2015, after which Sara and her older brother primarily lived with their mother until a family court ruling in 2019 determined that they should reside with their father, as reported by UK media.
