Police release new images of Sara Sharif in appeal for information into death of 10-year-old
She was found with a ‘constellation of healed and healing injuries’ at her home in Woking
New images of Sara Sharif have been released by Surrey Police to assist in their investigation into the death of the schoolgirl.
The 10-year-old was discovered with a “constellation of healed and healing injuries” at her home near Woking on 10 August sparking an international hunt for her father Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik, who had fled to Pakistan.
All three have all been charged with her murder and appeared at the Old Bailey earlier this week, with a trial provisionally scheduled for next autumn.
The new images show the schoolgirl dancing in a field dressed in a blue hijab, while a second image, from a school photo, shows her smiling in a black hijab. Both images are believed to have been taken in the past year, police said.
Detectives, who believe the clothes reflect how she may have dressed in the weeks before her death, have been speaking to community leaders and distributing leaflets to build up a picture of her life before she died.
“The photos present Sara in the way we believe she may have dressed in the months prior to her death, and we are hoping that these images will prompt more people to come forward with information about her and her family,” the police said.
Posters and leaflets in both English and Urdu have been displayed in and around Woking train station and taxi ranks around the town.
Det Supt Mark Chapman 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.”
On Tuesday, the Old Bailey heard that Sara had suffered a “constellation of healed and healing injuries”, which included a brain haemorrhage, bruising to her torso and limbs and multiple rib fractures. The cause of her death is yet to be established.
Her father, his wife and his brother were arrested at Gatwick airport on 13 September after returning from Pakistan.
They have been charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child and will next appear in court for a plea hearing on 1 December.