Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl who allegedly died at the hands of her father, stepmother, and uncle, wore a hijab to conceal facial injuries in the months leading up to her death, a court has been told. Jurors at the Old Bailey heard that Sara began wearing the hijab in January 2023, seven months before her body was found in her family home in Woking, Surrey.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC suggested that the use of the hijab was an attempt to hide injuries to her face and head. Neighbours reportedly found it unusual that Sara, unlike other members of her extended family, wore the religious headscarf. Teachers at Sara’s primary school had noticed visible bruising on her face, including a bruise under her eye in June 2022 and other marks in March 2023. When questioned about these injuries, Sara reportedly gave conflicting explanations and used her hijab to conceal her face.
Sara was withdrawn from school to be homeschooled in April 2023. Shortly before her death, a neighbour heard a “high-pitched scream” coming from the family home. Other neighbours, from the family’s previous address in West Byfleet, also recalled hearing “shockingly loud” smacking sounds and the screams of young children.
Upon investigation, authorities found disturbing evidence at the family’s residence, including a bloodstained cricket bat, a rolling pin with Sara’s DNA, a metal pole, and other items that could have been used to inflict injuries. Prosecutors claimed that plastic bags, bound with parcel tape, were found in the property’s bins, suggesting they had been used as “homemade hoods” placed over Sara’s head.
Text messages from Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, were presented as evidence. In one message from May 2021, Ms Batool admitted knowing about the abuse, describing Sara as “literally beaten black.” In the summer of 2022, she expressed concern about how to hide Sara’s bruises, saying, “I can’t even cover it up.”
Sara had suffered multiple injuries, including 11 fractures to her spine, burns caused by a domestic iron, six probable bite marks, and signs of a traumatic brain injury, according to the court. Her father, Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool, and uncle Faisal Malik, have all denied charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The court heard that on 9 August 2023, the day before Sara’s body was found, Mr Sharif, Ms Batool, and Mr Malik fled to Pakistan with Sara’s siblings. Mr Sharif later called police from Pakistan and confessed to killing Sara, but has since claimed that his confession was false, made to protect his wife.
The trial continues.