‘Formidable case’ made against Sara Sharif murder accused

A “formidable case” has been made to find Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle blameworthy of her murder, aft the run of abuse, jurors person been told.

Urfan Sharif, 42, Beinash Batool, 30, and Faisal Malik, 29, are connected proceedings astatine the Old Bailey implicit the 10-year-old’s decease astatine the household location successful Woking, Surrey, past August.

Sara suffered a “daily surviving hell” and died from the cumulative effects of the unit implicit galore months, alternatively than a azygous wounded oregon assault, the tribunal heard.

Her father, Sharif, has admitted helium repeatedly bushed Sara with a cricket bat, metallic rod and mobile phone, but helium has denied biting her, putting her successful a homemade hood and burning her with an robust and boiling water.

On Thursday, authoritative William Emlyn Jones KC suggested each 3 defendants were responsible, amid a “culture of violence” which was  “normalised” successful the household.

Despite Batool and Malik’s determination not to springiness evidence, it was a  “formidably beardown case” against them by “the information they lived with Sara arsenic she was gradually being beaten to death”, helium said.

In a closing speech, Mr Emlyn Jones said it was “inconceivable” that 1 of the defendants could person done it without the complicity and encouragement of the others.

He said: “None of the injuries was reported to oregon shown to a doc oregon unit astatine her school.

“Positive steps were taken to screen the maltreatment up passim those months.

“None of the defendants did thing to forestall the maltreatment of Sara, arsenic they surely would person done if they were not complicit successful it.

“If you cognize it is happening you bash thing to forestall it. None of them did due to the fact that they were, and are, each liable for her decease and they each are blameworthy of her murder.”

He suggested Batool and Malik’s soundlessness successful constabulary interviews and successful tribunal could beryllium held against them by the jury.

He said jurors would person to beryllium definite that erstwhile Sharif, by his ain admission, bushed Sara, helium meant to origin her “at slightest superior harm”.

In the lawsuit of Batool and Malik, they would person to see if they played a portion by their ain acts of unit oregon by “assisting oregon encouraging” others.

the origin of Sara’s decease was said by a pathologist to beryllium “complications arising from aggregate injuries and neglect”.

Mr Emlyn Jones told jurors: “The constituent has been made not each wounded was successful of itself a fatal injury, that is conveniently to disregard the cumulative effect.

“You are not required to find a circumstantial fatal injury, it is simply not possible. Sara was killed by the combined effect of what she suffered implicit time.

“The trial is whether each suspect is liable for immoderate battle either by carrying them retired oregon by assisting oregon encouraging the battle oregon assaults.

“Urfan Sharif cannot fell down the others and accidental ‘yes I did bash that, and the different but I did not woody the last blow’.

“Neither tin Batool and Malik fell down Sharif and accidental helium is the existent villain present if you are definite they played their part.”

Mr Emlyn Jones suggested jurors would person nary occupation successful uncovering Sharif blameworthy of murder, arsenic they did not request to determine if helium caused each Sara’s injuries.

He said Sharif had fostered implicit the years a “culture of convulsive subject wherever assaults of Sara had go wholly routine, wholly normalised”.

That was done with the “mutual understanding” among each the defendants, the tribunal was told.

The defendants person denied Sara’s murder, causing oregon allowing her decease and an alternate complaint of manslaughter.