Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle have pleaded not guilty to her murder.
The 10-year-old’s body was found at her home in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August – one day after her three alleged killers had travelled to Pakistan with five children, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28 – all from Hammond Road in Woking – appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday by video-link.
They each pleaded not guilty to murdering Sara and causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023, ahead of a trial in September next year.
All three were arrested at Gatwick Airport after they returned to the UK on 13 September.
A post-mortem found Sara had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time.
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Prosecutor Giles Bedloe had previously told the court that Sara was found to have “a constellation of healed and healing injuries”.
They allegedly included a healed fracture to her collar bone, a healed fracture to the hyoid bone in her neck, multiple rib fractures, bruising to her torso and limbs, and a brain haemorrhage.
