The father of a 10-year-old girl whose death sparked an international manhunt in Pakistan will stand trial for her murder next year.
Sara Sharif’s body was discovered at the family home near Woking, southern England, on August 10, the day after her father, Urfan Sharif, flew to Islamabad.
According to detectives, a man who identified himself as the father placed an early morning emergency call alerting officers to Sara’s death from Pakistan.
The house was otherwise empty and the search continued with Interpol and Britain’s Foreign Office in coordination with Pakistani authorities.
Sharif, a 41-year-old taxi driver, traveled to Pakistan with his partner Beinash Batool, 29, his brother Faisal Malik, 28, and Sharif’s five other children.
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The three adults have been charged with Sara’s murder and appeared by video link before a judge at London’s Old Bailey court on Tuesday.
The trio, who are also accused of causing or allowing the death of a child, were arrested last week after disembarking from a flight from Dubai after spending a month in Pakistan.
A post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries” over a long period.
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At Tuesday’s hearing, the three spoke only to confirm their names and addresses and remained in custody until a pretrial hearing on Dec. 1.
The trial is expected to begin on September 2, 2024 and last six weeks.
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