London, Sept 15: A Pakistani father, his female partner and his brother who were part of an international hunt after a 10-year-old girl was found dead in a town in south-east England were on Friday charged with her murder after being flown in from Pakistan.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it authorised charges against Urfan Sharif, 41, Beinash Batool, 29, and Faisal Shahzad Malik, 28, related to the murder last month of Sara Sharif in Woking, Surrey. The trio appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court and have been remanded in custody.
“The CPS has authorised Surrey Police to charge Urfan Sharif with the murder of his 10-year-old daughter Sara. Charges of murder have also been authorised against Beinash Batool, Mr Sharif’s partner, and his brother Faisal Shahzad Malik,” the CPS statement said.
“A further charge of causing or allowing the death of Sara has been authorised against all three individuals,” it said.
All three were arrested on Wednesday evening at Gatwick Airport as they disembarked a flight from Dubai after they had been traced by police in Pakistan.
Surrey Police had discovered Sara Sharif’s body at a residential address in Woking on August 10 following an emergency call, which was made by a man identifying himself as the girl’s father and was later traced to Islamabad. A post-mortem examination found Sara Sharif had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries”.
The police force said the girl’s mother, Olga Sharif – of Polish origin, had been informed of the latest developments and was being supported by specialist officers.
Sara’s five siblings, aged between one and 13 years old, also travelled to Pakistan with Sharif, Batool and Malik. Earlier this week, they were found by police in Pakistan at the home of Sharif’s father and have since been moved to a government childcare facility in the country.
The CPS said as criminal proceedings are now active, all those charged have a right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” it said.
Investigation into the case led to the involvement of international agencies, including Interpol, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to progress enquiries with the Pakistani authorities. (PTI)
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