Sara Sharif's family seen in the queue in Heathrow Airport(Image: Surrey Police/PA)

Police storm plane and arrest Sara Sharif's family as stepmother says six eerie words

Stepmother Beinash Batool, Sara’s father Urfan Sharif and uncle Faisal Malik all deny the murder of Sara Sharif, as today jurors were shown police bodycam footage of their arrest

by · The Mirror

A jury was played the moment police boarded a plane at Gatwick Airport and arrested Sara Sharif’s family as her stepmother was heard telling officers “you’re looking for us”.

The 10-year-old was found dead in her home on August 8 last year. Beinash Batool, 30, Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a campaign of abuse.

The trio fled to Pakistan the day after Sara died at the family home in Woking, Surrey. Around a month later, police in the UK discovered the defendants would be arriving at Gatwick airport on a flight from Dubai that evening.

Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in August last year( Image: PA)
Faisal Malik, the girl's uncle, was onboard the plane with his brother and his partner( Image: Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)

Today, the Old Bailey was played police bodycam footage of officers boarding their flight and arresting them, seven minutes after the plane touched down. As officers approached, Batool raised her hand and said: “I think you’re looking for us.”

Sharif, who had been sitting next to her, was asked if he had any items or bags on the flight and replied that he did not. After being taken off the plane, the defendants were arrested and put into police vans and the next day, each defendant was interviewed by police but chose to make no comment.

Sara Sharif's family seen on CCTV at Heathrow Airport, the day after the girl died( Image: Surrey Police/PA)

Surrey Police had found Sara’s body in a bunkbed after Sharif called from Pakistan to say that he had beaten her “too much” for being “naughty”. The little girl had suffered dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks, in what the prosecution allege was a campaign of abuse culminating in her death.

On Thursday, jurors heard a series of WhatsApp messages between Batool and her sister Qandeela Saboohi about the abuse Sara suffered. The texts, which ranged between 2020 and 2023, recalled the multiple times that Urfan had reportedly beaten her. Some of the heartbreaking messages even include photographs of her bruises. “Look what he’s doing. Delete the pictures," Batool told her sister.

The family in a car arriving at Heathrow( Image: Surrey Police/PA)

The court heard through text messages how she repeatedly complained that Sharif kept beating her for being“naughty”, and “rude and rebellious”. The reasons behind the battering included that she cut up his clothes, hid his keys and ripped up documents. Ms Saboohi advised her to listen to the Koran, and when Batool talked about going to the police, told her to calm down.

Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool speaking from Pakistan( Image: TWITTER)

All three defendants, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.

The trial continues.