The new pictures of Sara Sharif released by Surrey Police
Sara Sharif May Have Worn Hijab in Months before Her Death
By Will Bolton
New images of Sara Sharif wearing a hijab have been released as detectives believe they reflect how she may have dressed in the weeks before her death.
The 10-year-old’s body was discovered at her home in Woking, Surrey, on Aug 10 with a “constellation” of old and new injuries .
Her father, Urfan Sharif , 41; stepmother, Beinash Batool, 29; and uncle Faisal Malik, 28; all appeared via videolink at the Old Bailey on Tuesday accused of her murder .
The trio, who are also charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, returned to the UK from Pakistan last week after travelling abroad the day before Sara’s fully clothed body was discovered in a bed beneath a blanket .
In a statement, Surrey Police said it had released the two new images as the photos presented Sara in the way officers believe “she may have dressed in the months prior to her death”.
Picture of her life
Detectives investigating the case said they have been speaking to community leaders and distributing leaflets to residents to try to build up a picture of Sara’s life.
Posters have been put up at Woking train station and at taxi ranks around the town as part of the appeal for information, police said.
The appeal has also been translated into Urdu to reach residents of the local area who may have details about the young girl’s life.
Officers working for Surrey Police who are fluent in Urdu are supporting the investigation team to translate information provided by members of the public.
A previous image of Sara showed her without a hijab and apparently wearing make-up.
The latest photographs show Sara looking noticeably different in a black hijab and a white hijab.
Sara in the previous picture released by police - Surrey Police
Det Supt Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: “We have released these new images this week in the hope that it will prompt more people who knew Sara and her family to come forward.
“We are grateful to everyone who has already contacted us, and I would like to stress that any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, is reviewed by the investigation team and further enquiries carried out if appropriate. I would urge anyone who may have information and hasn’t yet come forward to reach out to us.”
At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Recorder of London, set a plea hearing date for Dec 1 and a provisional six-week trial to begin on Sept 2 2024.
A preliminary examination found that Sara had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a “sustained and extended” period of time.
The court heard the exact cause of her death was still to be established, but she had a number of “healed and healing fractures” that “clearly demonstrate” she had been subject to “multiple events of violence”. - The Telegraph
