Sara Sharif 'never smiled once' in months before death, jury told by neighbour

Sara Sharif "never smiled once" in the months before she was allegedly murdered by three members of her family, a neighbour has told jurors. 

Sara's father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a campaign of abuse against the 10-year-old, culminating in her death on 8 August 2023.

It is alleged by the prosecution that Sara wore a hijab to hide injuries to her face and head and was taken out of school.

Judith Lozeron told jurors on Thursday that she had moved next door to the family in Woking, Surrey, in April 2023.

When asked how Sara seemed to her, Mrs Lozeron said: "Never was she smiling when I saw her, not one time.

"I was told she was bullied at school for wearing a hijab and she was being homeschooled because of that.

"Every single time I saw her she wore a hijab - she was the only member of the family who wore that."

Mrs Lozeron said she would often see and chat with members of the family in the adjoining garden and they were "always very nicely dressed" and "quite smart", the court heard.

However, she did not see Sara as much as the other family members.

The last time she saw the 10-year-old was when the family hosted a birthday party in the garden on 23 July last year.

Mrs Lozeron said at the time Sara was sat in a garden chair with a baby, accompanied by two aunts.

When asked about her impressions on how Sara was treated by the family, she told the court she "thought it strange" that the girl "didn't mix more with the whole family".

She said she felt "some separateness" which she did not understand and thought was "odd".

Another witness, Usman Choudhry, told jurors he had seen Sara with bruises "on her face and under her eye" when he dropped his child off at school before April 2023.

He said Sara was wearing a headscarf but rather than just covering her hair, it was worn "very low, almost covering her forehead".

Jurors were previously told that Sara suffered more than 70 injuries shortly before she was found dead.

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She is said to have had unexplained fractures in 25 locations on her body, which were most likely caused by "multiple episodes of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks".

It is alleged that within hours of her death, the three defendants booked a flight out of the country. Two days later, Sharif called police from Pakistan and said he had "beaten her up too much".

All three defendants, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2024: Sara Sharif 'never smiled once' in months before death, jury told by neighbour