Social workers refused to take action into the family of 10-year-old Sara Sharif before she was murdered despite teachers repeatedly spotting bruises on her face, a court heard.
Sara’s school had referred the family to social services after she gave different explanations to different members of staff about bruises to her face.
Six days after the referral was made to Surrey social services, staff had already decided not to intervene and Sara was withdrawn from school within four weeks.
Four months later was found dead at her home in Hammond Road, Woking, on 10 August 2023.
Sara had at least 71 external injuries inflicted on her and was tortured and regularly beaten in the months before she died, the Old Bailey has heard.
Father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a weeks-long campaign of abuse against the 10-year-old girl, culminating in her death last year.
Sara Sharif, whose body was found under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10
During proceedings, the court was shown pictures of the families Surrey home
Stepmother of Sara, Beinash Batool, 30, who is charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child
Cab driver Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool, and uncle, McDonald’s worker Faisal Malik, all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
Jurors were today read entries relating to Sara from her school’s child protection online monitoring system.
On 6 June 2022 a teacher submitted an entry that Sara had been seen with a bruise under her left eye.
Sara at first would not explain how she got the injury, before saying that another child had hit her.
On 10 March 2023 a report was entered about a member of staff spotting a bruise on Sara’s chin and a dark bruise on her eye.
Reading agreed facts to the jury, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said: ‘Sara said her eye was just very itchy and the mark on her chin was from falling on roller skates.
‘The head teacher spoke to her and Sara lowered her head and refused to lift her head or show her head.’
Sara then gave a different explanation for the bruise, saying that a child had punched her.
Mr Emlyn Jones said: ‘She was reluctant to talk and kept her face lowered and only spoke with her face buried with her arm on the table.
‘The school contacted their point of advice and a social services referral was made.
‘Beinash Batool was made aware of the social services referral.’
Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collar bone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separate fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and her hyoid bone in the neck
CCTV footage captured a car arriving at Heathrow short stay car park with Urfan in the driver’s seat
Sara Sharif’s family were caught on CCTV passing through passport security at Heathrow Airport in London on August 9 last year
On 16 March 2023, six days after the bruise was spotted, social services made a decision to take no further action into the family, Mr Emlyn Jones said.
The records showed that on 28 March 2023 Batool approached Sara’s class teacher and told them Sara had a mark on her cheek which had been caused by her playing with a pen.
The teacher recorded that the bruise seemed consistent with a pen mark.
At 9.40am on 17 April 2023 the school received an email from Urfan saying Sara would be homeschooled with immediate effect.
Continuing to read the facts agreed between the prosecution and defence, Mr Emlyn Jones said that a woman named Hannah Newham who cleaned the flat above the Sharif home said she on occasion heard the sound of ‘a male voice raised in anger’ coming from the flat.
Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collar bone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separate fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and her hyoid bone in the neck.
After the killing Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan, leaving Sara’s body in the three bedroom house in Woking.
They were arrested more than a month later on September 13 last year at Gatwick Airport having flown back from Dubai.
Sharif, Batool and Malik, all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.