Accused in Sara Sharif Murder Case Referred to Her as an “Innocent Soul”

Testimony presented in court revealed that a woman charged with the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif had described the child to her sister as an “innocent soul” requiring affection. Jurors at the Old Bailey were also informed that Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, stated that Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, had physically assaulted his daughter for being “naughty”. These Whatsapp messages were transmitted in 2022, several months prior to Sara’s body being discovered with numerous injuries at her family residence in Woking on 10 August last year. Ms. Batool, aged 30, Mr. Sharif, aged 42, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, aged 29, have all pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder. The jury had previously been presented with evidence indicating that Sara endured over two years of abuse, which included being hooded, burned, bitten, and beaten. Furthermore, the prosecution had previously informed the court that the veracity of messages Ms. Batool sent to her sisters spanning several years was contested, given that these communications solely represented information she opted to disclose. The court was informed that Ms. Batool transmitted images depicting Sara’s injuries to her sister Qandeela Saboohi, subsequently removing them from the message thread. The images that were recovered revealed numerous injuries on Sara. In May 2021, Ms. Batool communicated to her sister her intention to report Urfan for beating “the crap out of Sara”. Ms. Batool stated: “She’s covered in bruises, literally … black”, further remarking that “poor girl can’t walk, she literally fainted in the kitchen in the morning” and “he made her do sit ups all night”. During a conversation in February 2022, Ms. Batool sent a message to another sister, Amima Shahid, indicating that Mr. Sharif was physically assaulting Sara at their residence. Ms. Batool subsequently stated that “[if] something happens to Sara I will not be able to forgive myself”. On 24 November 2022, Ms. Batool messaged Ms. Shahid, conveying that she was “too stressed to talk” and that she and Mr. Sharif had parted ways. Ms. Batool mentioned that Mr. Sharif intended to travel to Pakistan the next day, stating: “He went crazy today”, and that he had taken both money and a passport. Half a year prior to Sara’s death, Ms. Shahid contacted Ms. Batool via message to inquire about Sara’s well-being. The aunt expressed: “I feel so sorry for her.” Ms. Batool responded: “She’s fine, I explained to her like I do every night.” In subsequent messages, she further stated: “There’s something that’s not right with her like mentally; She needs to get help; She’s an innocent soul man who needs love.” On 11 August, the day following the discovery of Sara’s body, Sara’s aunt blocked Ms. Batool’s telephone number. Additionally, the court was presented with video evidence depicting the three accused relatives at Heathrow Airport as they departed the UK for Pakistan, on the day preceding the discovery of Sara’s body. The judicial proceedings are ongoing.