Sara Sarif, 10, suffered at least 71 injuries including burn marks, broken ribs and a chunk cut out of her finger before she died, murder trial hears
Sara Sharif suffered more than 70 injuries at the hands of her family before she died, a court heard today.
Sara Sharif suffered more than 70 injuries at the hands of her family before she died, a court heard today.
The 10-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly beaten to death by her father Urfan, 42, before he fled to Pakistan and confessed in a 999 call: I killed my daughter.
The Old Bailey heard horrific details today of the extent of her injuries which included dozens of broken bones, bites, burns and part of her finger had been cut out with a sharp instrument.
In total, she suffered 71 external injures which included 10 spinal fractures and two broken ribs, collar bone, both shoulder blades, both of her arms, her hands and three of her fingers were fractured.
A post-mortem revealed Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period of time.
The 10-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly beaten to death by her father Urfan, 42, before he fled to Pakistan and confessed in a 999 call: I killed my daughter
Sara was allegedly subjected to months of abuse, the trial has heard
Jurors were told that her whole body was covered in bruises, grazes, puncture wounds, abrasions and marks, which Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones explained were too many to count.
Forensic pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary said Sara had endured significant and repetitive blunt trauma which may have rendered her unconscious or caused a fit.
She suffered terminal head injuries which caused bleeding on her brain and her lungs were also bruised.
But Dr Cary said it was difficult to pinpoint which injury caused her death: All I can say is she died after a number of injuries which included brain injury.
The court heard that she may have been left unconscious or unhelped after an older head injury two to five days before the murder.
There were also a number of older injuries including scarring on her jawline, around the pelvis, legs and forearm.
She had been tied up, possibly to a hot pipe, her ankles were scalded with hot water, and she had burn marks on her buttock from an iron.
Dr Cary said just the burn injuries themselves could have proved fatal if it caused sepsis.
There were bruises and grazes all over her head and face, including bruising on her right cheek, ear and a deep graze on her nose.
The pathologist also described a sharp puncture wound on Saras forehead which had been left gaping.
There were five bite marks on her lower left arm and one to the inner thigh, indicating that the teeth had been dragged across the surface.
Urfan Sharif is accused of battering his 10-year-old daughter Sara to death before fleeing to Pakistan last August
Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of Sarah Sharifs father Urfan Sharif (right) her uncle Faisal Malik (left), and stepmother Beinash Batool (centre), sitting alongside dock officers today at the Old Bailey
Dental tests revealed her father or uncle Faisal Malk, 29, were not responsible for the marks, but her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, refused to submit to testing.
The court has previously heard that police were later able to match some of the bruises to weapons found in her home including a plastic-coated metal pole and a belt buckle.
The youngster, who weighed just 27 kilograms when she died, had a collar of intense purple bruising around her neck, which jurors have heard was the result of blunt impact, solid pressure or strangulation.
There was further tram track bruising on her abdomen and around the belly button.
Jurors have previously heard that the victim was tied up, hooded and beaten with a variety of weapons, including a cricket bat and a rolling pin.
After her death on August 8 last year, the defendants are said to have hidden her body under the pink covers of her bunk bed, arranging her body to look as if she was sleeping.
The Old Bailey heard horrific details today of the extent of her injuries which included dozens of broken bones, bites, burns and part of her finger had been cut out with a sharp instrument
Police later charged Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, (left) and his younger brother Faisal Malik, 29, (right) who were all living in the house at the time of the murder
Her father, cab driver Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, and brother, McDonalds worker Faisal Malik then fled to Pakistan the next day.
Sharif later rang 999 from Pakistan to tell police: It wasnt my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.
All three were arrested a month later when they returned on September 13 last year to Gatwick Airport.
Sharif, Batool and Malik all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.
