LONDON (AP) — The father, stepmother and uncle of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in southern England pleaded not guilty on Thursday to murder charges.
Sara Sharif’s body was discovered under a blanket in a bunk bed on Aug. 10. Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 41; his partner Beinash Batool, 29; and his brother, 28-year-old Faisal Malik, were charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trio had left the U.K. for Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, a day before police discovered the girl’s body in Woking, 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of London. Prosecutors have said officers found the body after receiving a call from Pakistan.
Prosecutors have said Sara’s body showed evidence of extensive injuries and healed fractures that indicated “multiple events of violence.” However, an autopsy did not establish a cause of death.
Police in Pakistan found the three suspects after an extensive search and put them on a flight to the U.K. on Sept. 13. They were arrested upon arriving at London’s Gatwick Airport and remanded in prison.
The three appeared by video link Thursday at London’s Central Criminal Court to deny the charges ahead of a trial scheduled for September 2024.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
