Death of Sara Sharif

Sara Sharif was born on 11 January 2013 in Slough, Berkshire.[5][3] Her father is Urfan Sharif, a Pakistani taxi driver who moved to the UK in 2001.[5][6] Her mother is Olga (née Domin), a Polish Catholic.[5] In 2009, the couple married and in 2010 had a son.[5][6] The couple separated in 2015 and later divorced, after which the children lived with Olga, but in 2019 custody of them was awarded to Urfan, after which they lived in Horsell, Woking with him, his wife Beinash Baitool, the couple's four children and Urfan's brother.[5][6] Olga, who objected to them being raised Muslim, had little contact with her children during the time they lived in Woking.[5] Sara was known to social services and in April 2023, she was taken out of primary school due to being "bullied for wearing the hijab"[7] therefore she was being homeschooled by her stepmother.[6]

Sharif's body was found at her residence on Hammond Road, Horsell, during the early hours of 10 August.[2][3] Surrey Police identified Urfan Sharif (Sara's father), his partner Beinash Batool, and his brother Faisal Malik as persons of interest.[4] All three departed from the UK for Islamabad, Pakistan on 9 August, a day before Sara's body was found.[8][3] Urfan Sharif made a 999 call from Pakistan shortly after he arrived in Islamabad with his partner, brother, and five children.[9] On 15 August, a post-mortem was carried out, which discovered that she had suffered numerous and severe injuries over an extended period.[9] The exact cause of her death remains undetermined, but according to an inquest it is unlikely that it was a natural occurrence.[4][3] The inquest was adjourned until 29 February.[3] On 12 September, police raided the house of Urfan Sharif's father in Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan and recovered the five children in good condition, after which they were put in care.[8][10]

Authorities initiated an international search to locate the suspects.[2] Two police teams in Jhelum, in north Punjab, Pakistan, were actively searching for Urfan Sharif. There is no official extradition agreement in place between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.[9] The police made a new request for information two weeks after the discovery of Sharif's body, urging anyone who had contact with her to come forward with information.[2] On 13 September, the three suspects were arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of murder after disembarking a flight from Sialkot via Dubai.[8] On 14 September, they were all charged with murder along with an additional charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. They were remanded in custody ahead of a hearing on 15 September at Guildford Magistrates' Court.[11] They appeared before London's Old Bailey on 19 September 2023 via videolink.[12] A plea hearing will take place on 1 December 2023 and they are due to stand trial in September 2024.[12]