The dad and stepmum who fled the country after the death of their 10-year-old daughter are finally flying back to Britain today.
The father of Sara Sharif, Urfan Sharif, and his partner, Beinash Batool, have been in Pakistan for a month after travelling to Islamabad on August 9 with five other children, the day before their other daughter was found dead.
The body of Sara, their eldest daughter, was found in the family’s Woking home. She had suffered ‘multiple and extensive injuries’ over a ‘sustained and extended’ period of time.
Sara’s uncle told officers the 10-year-old “fell down the stairs and broke her neck”, according to police in Pakistan.
But Batool later claimed he did not give a statement saying that, and the line had been “spread through a Pakistani media outlet”.
The inquest did not determine a cause of death and was adjourned until February 29, 2024.
Her father alerted police from Pakistan where the family launched a legal bid to prevent extradition, claiming their freedom of movement and travel have been infringed.
Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, said she is haunted by the sight of her daughter’s body.
Speaking to the Polish television programme Uwaga! she said: “One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised. No mother should have to see something like that.”
In the mistake-littered petition, they claimed to have been ‘victimised’ by the police and ‘deprived’ of personal liberties. It was argued that Pakistani police had no basis to detain them as they haven’t committed any offences in Pakistan and there is no extradition treaty with Britain.
Batool spoke for the first time in a video shared with Sky News and said the family was willing to co-operate with British authorities and “fight our case in court”.
Police in Pakistan raided 20 homes nationwide in a search for the couple, taking the five children who were staying with Urfan Sharif’s father.
Sharif, 41, and Batool, 29, surrendered to police and are flying back into the country today (September 13), due at Gatwick just before 8pm. They will then be questioned by the Surrey Police officers investigating Sara’s murder.
The case had been due to be heard next week before the couple decided to hand themselves.