Sara Sharif's father, stepmother and uncle plead not guilty to 10-year-old's murder
The father, stepmother, and uncle of Sara Sharif have pleaded not guilty to the 10-year-old's murder.
Dad Urfan Sharif, Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool and her uncle Faisal Malik are accused of murder after the young girl's body was discovered under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10.
All three entered not guilty pleas as they appeared at the Old Bailey via video link on Thursday, ahead of a trial in September next year.
They also pleaded not guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16, 2022 and August 9, 2023.
A previous court hearing was told police found Sara’s body after receiving a call from Pakistan, which lasted eight minutes and 34 seconds, at 2.47am on August 10.
The court was also told the defendants had booked a flight to the country two days earlier.
Prosecutor Giles Bedloe told the Old Bailey that Sara was found to have “a constellation of healed and healing injuries”.
The day before Sara was discovered, the three defendants left the UK for Pakistan with five children.
The trio returned to the UK on September 13 and were arrested on landing at Gatwick Airport.
