Moment police board flight and arrest Sara Sharif’s fugitive father, stepmother and uncle on suspicion of murdering schoolgirl and fleeing to Pakistan

A video of the moment police boarded a plane and arrested Sara Sharif’s alleged killers has been played in court, with the 10-year-old’s stepmother telling officers: ‘I think you’re looking for us. ‘

Beinash Batool, 30; Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42; and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, had fled to Pakistan the day after Sara died at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 8 last year.

Jurors viewed CCTV footage of the family as they prepared to board a flight from Heathrow Airport.

Surrey Police had found Sara’s body in a bunk bed after Sharif called from Pakistan to say he had hit her ‘too much’ because she was ‘naughty’.

The little girl suffered dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks, during what prosecutors say was a campaign of abuse that culminated in her death.

On September 6, 2023, a press conference was broadcast in Pakistan with Sharif and Batool, who complained that family were being harassed.

On September 13 last year, police received information that the three defendants would arrive at Gatwick Airport that evening on a flight from Dubai.

On Friday, jurors were shown clips of the officers’ body-worn video, which captured the moment police boarded the plane and the defendants, who were flying business class, at 7:42 p.m., seven minutes after the landing, arrested.

As officers approached, Batool raised her hand and said, “I think you’re looking for us.”

Sharif, who had been sitting next to her, was asked if he had any items or bags with him on the flight and replied that he had not.

After being taken off the plane, the defendants were arrested and put into police vans.

The next day, each suspect was questioned by police but declined to comment.

Earlier today it was also revealed that social workers refused to take action against the family of 10-year-old Sara Sharif before she was killed, despite teachers repeatedly seeing bruises on her face, a court heard.

Sara’s school had referred the family to social services after she gave different explanations to several staff members about bruises on her face.

Six days after the referral was made to Surrey Social Services, staff had already decided not to intervene and Sara was removed from school within four weeks.

Four months later, she was found dead at her home in Hammond Road, Woking, on August 10, 2023.

Sara suffered at least 71 external wounds and was tortured and regularly beaten in the months before she died, the Old Bailey has heard.

Father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of waging a weeks-long campaign of abuse against the 10-year-old girl, culminating in her death last year.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle, McDonald’s employee Faisal Malik, all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Jurors today read out entries relating to Sara from her school’s online child protection monitoring system.

On June 6, 2022, a teacher filed a report that Sara was seen with a bruise under her left eye.

Sara at first wouldn’t explain how she got the injury before saying another child hit her.

On March 10, 2023, a report was received that an employee noticed a bruise on Sara’s chin and a dark bruise on her eye.

Reading out the agreed facts to the jury, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said: ‘Sara said her eye was very itchy and the mark on her chin was the result of a fall on roller skates.

“The director spoke to her and Sara bowed her head and refused to lift her head or show her head.”

Sara then gave a different explanation for the bruise, saying that a child had hit her.

Mr Emlyn Jones said: ‘She was reluctant to speak and kept her face down and only spoke with her face buried with her arm on the table.

‘The school has contacted their advice point and a referral has been made to social services.

‘Beinash Batool was informed of the referral to social services.’

On March 16, 2023, six days after the bruise was noticed, social services decided not to take further action against the family, Mr Emlyn Jones said.

The records showed that on March 28, 2023, Batool approached Sara’s class teacher and told them that Sara had a mark on her cheek that was caused by playing with a pen.

The teacher noted that the bruise corresponded to a pencil mark.

On April 17, 2023 at 9:40 am, the school received an email from Urfan stating that Sara would be homeschooled with immediate effect.

As he continued to read the facts agreed between the prosecution and the defense, Mr Emlyn Jones said that a woman called Hannah Newham, who cleaned the flat above the Sharif house, said she occasionally heard the sound of ‘a male voice raised in anger’ came from the flat. .

Sara was found to have ten vertebral fractures and further fractures to her right collarbone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separate fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and her hyoid bone in the neck.

After Sharif’s murder, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan, leaving Sara’s body in the three-bedroom house in Woking.

They were arrested at Gatwick Airport just over a month later on September 13 last year after flying back from Dubai.

Sharif, Batool and Malik all deny murder and causing or permitting the death of a child.

The process continues.