Police issue new images of Sara Sharif to ‘build picture of her life’

The girl’s father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik are accused of the youngster’s murder after her body was discovered under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10.

On Friday, Surrey Police circulated two new images of Sara which present her “in the way we believe she may have dressed in the months prior to her death”.

Police hope the images will encourage others to come forward to help ‘build a picture of her life’ (Surrey Police/PA)

The force said it hoped the images would “prompt more people to come forward with information about her and her family”.

Sara is pictured wearing a black hijab in a school photo in one of the images, while the other displays the youngster in a blue hijab.

A previous picture issued by the force showed the child without the traditional Muslim head covering.

The trio accused of her murder are due to stand trial in September next year with a plea hearing due to take place at the Old Bailey on December 1.

A previous court hearing heard police had 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, on August 8.

Prosecutor Giles Bedloe told the court at 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, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The trio, of Hammond Road in Woking, returned to the UK on September 13 and were arrested on landing at Gatwick Airport.

The three defendants were remanded into custody at their last court appearance at the Old Bailey (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

All three were remanded into custody by The Recorder of London, Judge Mark Lucraft KC, until their next court hearing.

Commenting on why they had released new images, Detective Superintendent 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 inquiries carried out if appropriate.

“I would urge anyone who may have information and hasn’t yet come forward to reach out to us.

“There are a number of ways you can do this – you can report information via our portal, which is in both English and Urdu, you can call 101 if you would prefer to speak on the phone, or if you would like to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

The force said officers have circulated the appeal, which has also been translated into Urdu, through leaflets distributed in Woking, as well as posters being displayed in and around the town’s train station and taxi ranks.