The most important facts about the tragic death of Sara Sharif after an alleged “campaign of abuse”

Ten-year-old Sara Sharif died after an alleged “campaign of abuse” in the house where she lived with her father, stepmother and uncle.

A court heard on Tuesday that a “high-pitched scream” was heard two days before the 10-year-old was killed and her family fled to Pakistan.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey charged with the murder of his daughteride Sara’s stEpmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.

Police found Sara’s body in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year after Sharif called from Pakistan saying he had “beaten her up too much” because she was “naughty”, the court heard.

It is alleged that Sara had died two days earlier as a result of a campaign of abuse and within hours the defendants had booked a flight out of the country.

An autopsy found that Sara suffered dozens of injuries, including “likely human bite marks,” an iron burn and hot water scalding.

There was also evidence she had been restrained, the jury heard.

Here is a timeline of how events unfolded, according to prosecutors.

– April 2023

Father Urfan Sharif tells Sara’s school that she will now be homeschooled.

– April 6, 2023

Sara and her family are moving into a three-bedroom house on Hammond Road in the Horsell area of ​​Woking.

– August 8, 2023

8:38 p.m. – A child sends a school friend a WhatsApp message that says “urgent” and writes that Sara “just passed away.”

9.07pm – Beinash Batool, Sara’s stepmother, calls Southall travel agency to ask about flights to Pakistan, but after 50 minutes the conversation ends with no flights arranged.

10pm – Sharif contacts Nadeem Riaz, who works for a money transfer company, and says he needs a flight to Pakistan the next day.

– August 9, 2023

9.25am – CCTV films Sharif and his family arriving at Heathrow Airport at 2pm to catch a flight to Pakistan.

– August 10, 2023

2.47am – Sharif has arrived in Pakistan and calls police in the UK and says: “I killed my daughter. I punished her legally and she died. She was naughty. I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”

Police go to the family home in Woking and find Sara’s body in a bed with a note in Sharif’s handwriting next to the pillow.

– August 15, 2023

An autopsy is conducted which concludes that Sara’s death was not a natural death. The jury heard there were signs of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks, bruising, iron burns to the buttocks, bondage marks and suspected human bite marks.

– September 6, 2023

Sharif and Batool appear in a short video clip provided and broadcast by Sky News, in which Batool describes Sara’s death as an “incident.”

– September 13, 2023

Sharif, Batool and Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik fly to Gatwick and are arrested by the police on the plane.

– October 14, 2024

The three defendants, from Woking, Surrey, will face trial at the Old Bailey having denied murder and causing or allowing Sara’s death.