Murdered Woking girl, 10, 'forced to use BBC Bitesize for education'

24 August 2023 , 20:18

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Sara Shari was homeschooled, which was reliant on using BBC Bitesize (Image: PA)

Sara Sharif used BBC Bitesize for her homeschooling as her parents kept her home because of racist bullies, a neighbour has claimed.

The 10-year-old was found dead at her family’s home near Woking, Surrey, on August 10. Post-mortem tests found she had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries”.

Police were called from Pakistan by her father Urfan Sharif. The 41-year-old, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his 28-year-old brother Faisal Malik are all thought to have travelled from the UK to Islamabad the day before - and are still wanted for questioning.

In the months before the shocking tragedy, young Sara was seen at school with cuts and bruises all over her, one neighbour said.

Sara was reportedly schooled at home, because of bullies (SplashNews.com)

Another neighbour earlier told the BBC her education was limited to accessing BBC Bitesize online, adding: “I suggested to Beinash Sara needed to be with children her own age, she replied she was making friends at the mosque and in her swimming lessons.

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"Another time I remarked to Beinash it must be difficult to homeschool Sara, especially as she had the baby to look after. She said it was very easy as she used BBC Bitesize. She often carried the baby in her arms, and sometimes I saw her playing with him. I never saw her smile or laugh."

Sara's exact cause of death remains unknown, but it's been reported Urfan's brother Imran Malik told Pakistani police that he'd been told through an intermediary she broke her neck after falling down the stairs. The sibling, who has not been charged or arrested, made the claim in a police interview after officers raided the Sharif family home in Jhelum – 84 miles south of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

Last night it was reported police officers reportedly found a note at Sara’s home which is said to have named her alleged killer. Sara's exact cause of death remains unknown but it was reported officers found a handwritten note revealing who killed the schoolgirl.

The Daily Mail reports the note was written by a family member and claims Sara was “beaten to death” by someone known to her family. According to , the note reads: “Who ever sees this, it was XXXX who killed… (Sara)… by beating. I am running away because I am scared.”

The note goes against earlier claims by an uncle in Pakistan who said Sara died when she fell down stairs and broke her neck. The publication said found the note near Sara’s body the day she was discovered.

Antony Clements-Thrower