Sara Sharif was innocent soul, murder accused said

A pistillate accused of sidesplitting 10-year-old Sara Sharif had told her sister the miss was an "innocent soul" who needed love, a tribunal heard.

Sara's stepmother, Beinash Batool, besides said Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, had beaten up his girl arsenic she had been “naughty”, jurors astatine the Old Bailey were told.

She sent the Whatsapp messages successful 2022 - months earlier Sara’s assemblage was recovered with dozens of injuries astatine her household location successful Woking connected 10 August past year.

Ms Batool, 30, Mr Sharif, 42, and Sara's uncle Faisal Malik, 29, person denied murder.

Jurors antecedently heard Sara had been hooded, burned, bitten and beaten during much than two years of abuse.

They were besides antecedently told by the prosecution that the accuracy of messages sent by Ms Batool to her sisters implicit a fig of years was successful dispute, arsenic they lone reflected what she was choosing to archer them.

Ms Batool sent images of Sara’s injuries to her sister Qandeela Saboohi, but past deleted them from the connection stream, the tribunal heard.

The recovered images showed aggregate injuries to Sara.

In May 2021 Ms Batool told her sister that she wanted to study Urfan for beating “the crap retired of Sara”.

She added: “She’s covered successful bruises, virtually … black”, adding “poor miss can’t walk, she virtually fainted successful the room successful the morning” and “he made her bash beryllium ups each night”.

In 1 speech successful February 2022, Ms Batool messaged different sister, Amima Shahid, to accidental that Mr Sharif was beating Sara up astatine home.

Ms Batool went connected to accidental that “[if] thing happens to Sara I volition not beryllium capable to forgive myself".

In 24 November, 2022, Ms Batool messaged Ms Shahid saying that she was “too stressed to talk” and that she and Mr Sharif had separated.

Ms Batool said Mr Sharif was going to Pakistan the pursuing day, adding: “He went brainsick today”, and that helium had taken wealth and a passport.

Six months earlier Sara died, Ms Shahid messaged Ms Batool to inquire however Sara was.

“I consciousness truthful atrocious for her," the aunt said.

Ms Batool replied: "She’s fine, I explained to her similar I bash each night."

She added successful different messages: "There’s thing that’s not close with her similar mentally; She needs to get help; She’s an guiltless psyche antheral who needs love."

On 11 August, the time aft Sara’s assemblage was found, Sara’s aunt blocked Ms Batool's number.

The tribunal was besides shown footage of the 3 accused relatives astatine Heathrow airdrome arsenic they near the UK for Pakistan, the time earlier Sara's assemblage was found.

The proceedings continues.