(London) The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in the south of England, as well as two other suspects charged with murder after a month on the run in Pakistan, were presented to British justice on Friday and placed in custody .
The three members of Sara Sharif’s family, whose face has constantly come up in recent weeks in the media in the United Kingdom, had fled to Pakistan the day before the discovery of the little girl’s body, and found refuge with relatives, giving rise to an international hunt.
The day after their return to the United Kingdom, Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, as well as Urfan’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28, were served with the charges on Thursday evening.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SURREY POLICE, ARCHIVED VIA AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik.
In addition to the charge of murder, “they are also being prosecuted for causing or allowing the death of a child to occur,” Surrey Police (South) said in a press release.
They were brought before the court on Friday during a brief hearing at Guildford Magistrate’s Court, where a judge remanded them in custody until the next hearing, scheduled for Tuesday at the Old Bailey in London. The three suspects only took the stand Friday to confirm their identities and addresses.
The child’s body was found at his family’s home in a village near Woking, a town in southern England, after a call from his father from Pakistan.
The autopsy revealed she suffered “numerous injuries” over a long period of time.
In a video last week, the child’s stepmother claimed the little girl’s death was “an accident” and explained that the escapees were “finally ready to cooperate with the British authorities and plead in court” .
In these images, Urfan Sharif remained silent while his partner read the message.
Children entrusted to the father
Urfan Sharif’s father, Muhammad Sharif, 68, said the couple had stayed at the family’s home in northern Kashmir for two days after arriving from the United Kingdom.
“The Pakistani police have continued to harass us for the past three weeks,” he said.
The couple had fled with five children aged between one and 13, who were placed under placement.
Olga Sharif, Sara’s mother, told Polish television in her home country of the pain of losing her child and seeing her daughter’s lifeless body.
“One of his cheeks was swollen, the other had a bruise,” she described, “even now, when I close my eyes, I see what my baby looked like.”
The couple separated in 2015 and Sara and her older brother lived with her until the courts ruled in 2019 that they had to live with their father.
