Sara Sharif’s uncle ‘may have been unaware’ of abuse suffered by the 10-year-old at home as he was ‘busy working at McDonald’s’, murder trial hears
The uncle of deceased schoolgirl Sara Sharif may not have been aware of the abuse the 10-year-old suffered at home because he was ‘busy working at McDonald’s’, a court has heard.
Faisal Malik, 29, lived with Sara, her father and his wife at the house in Hammond Road, Woking, where she was found dead on August 10, 2023.
He is charged along with Sara’s father, taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, and his wife Beinash Batool, 30, for murder and causing or permitting the death of a child.
The Old Bailey chief said Sara suffered at least 71 external injuries and was tortured in the days before she died.
Malik’s attorney Micheal Ivers, KC, today questioned police officer Greg Robinson about the location data of Malik’s phone.
According to the Old Bailey chief, Sara Sharif suffered at least 71 external injuries and was tortured in the days before she died
Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik (pictured), 29, lived with Sara in Hammond Road, Woking, where she was found dead on August 10, 2023
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.
Mr Ivers said it was not possible to say whether the records showed Malik was at any time at home on Hammond Road, at work at McDonald’s or in the area of the local co-op.
Mr Robinson confirmed this, saying that a phone in any of these three locations can connect to the same mobile phone tower.
Mr Ivers said: ‘Where my client worked at McDonald’s, at home or spent time in and around the Co-op or the local parks, the idea of telling the difference becomes impossible as it is basically all the same mast.’
Mr Robinson responded: ‘There is certainly some level of agreement that we see the mobile phone using the same cell. All we can say is that the cell phone could have been in any of those locations.”
“This might give a little bit of a heads up that we shouldn’t assume he’s on Hammond Road,” Mr Ivers said.
Mr Robinson said that because Malik was on the Three network, there was less data available than provided by a network such as Vodafone and EE.
Mr Ivers suggested it was better for the jury to rely on CCTV footage, Malik’s use of his card at the Co-op and his work schedule at McDonald’s.
Malik claims that although he lived on Hammond Road, while working at McDonald’s and attending Portsmouth University as a student, he was unaware that Sara was being abused.
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.
Malik, along with Sara’s father, taxi driver Urfan Sharif (left), 42, and his wife Beinash (right) Batool, 30, are charged with murder and causing or permitting the death of a child
Malik claims that although he lived on Hammond Road (pictured), while working at McDonald’s and studying as a student at Portsmouth University, he was unaware that Sara was being abused
After the death, Sharif, 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 allowing the death of a child.
The process continues.