Sara Sharif's dad 'relaxed' with 'no signs of tension' in video, expert says
Sara Sharif's dad looked relaxed and showed no signs of tension while he sat next to her stepmum in a video message they released this morning, a leading body language has told the Mirror.
Police want to speak to the 10-year-old girl's father Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, as well as his brother Faisal Shahzad Malik, 28, after her body was found at their property in Woking, Surrey, last month. Sara was discovered after officers were called from Pakistan by her dad, who is thought to have travelled to Islamabad on August 9 with police unable to contact the pair since.
A post-mortem examination showed Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries, likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time. Body language expert Judi James analysed the video clip and said they trying to come off as victims as they appeared for the first time since they left the UK.
Sara Sharif, 10, was tragically found dead at her home near Woking on August 10 (PA)
Her father Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool have left the UK (Sky News)They have now spoken for the first time, this morning sharing footage which saw step-mum Batool described the child's death as an 'incident'. In their first public contact since leaving Britain, the couple read a statement dismissing claims the family has "gone into hiding" and say they say they are willing to "fight our case in court" and co-operate with UK authorities.
But behaviour expert Judi James believes it was a play for sympathy. She told the Mirror: "Verbally and non-verbally this is a message that appears aimed at letting the world know that Sharif, Batool and their families see themselves as victims.
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"There are six key points they use in a bid to promote this idea, all listed as Batool reads carefully from a script. Their family is ‘severely affected by all that is going on’; that she is ‘worried about Imran’s safety’; that ‘Everyone is scared for their safety’; the ‘kids are unable to attend school’; that ‘no one is leaving the house’ and that the ‘groceries have run out.’
"In contrast, Sara is mentioned only once in this clip, at the start of the message which begins: ‘Firstly I would talk about Sara’. It’s not actually Sara who is mentioned here though, it’s her death. This is described in two words as: ‘An incident’.
The parents addressed her death in a short video this morning (Sky News)"His pose looks relaxed in this clip. He sits back slightly slumped in the seat with no apparent sign of shoulder or chest tension and no apparent movements of the mouth muscles, hands or eye expression to suggest emotion. The quality of the video is not perfect so there’s little to pick out in the way of micro-movements or expressions.
"His elbows are on the arms of the chair in a splay that would normally suggest confidence. He gazes at the camera and his lips look clamped enough to suggest he is not going to speak himself. He also looks at Ms Batool’s face at one point but his lack of signals of any concern over her words or any apparent waiting to join in if necessary suggests this is a message from both of them. His only body movement is when he sniffs at one point and re-boots his pose.
"Batool sits closer to the camera, with nobody splaying. She looks down at the script as she reads but glances up for her key points. There is a tone of concern as she reads but this is when she is listing the ways her family have ‘been affected’ by what's happened."
In low-quality footage, Ms Batool dedicates just two sentences to Sara, describing her death as an "incident". She said: "Firstly, I would like to talk about Sara. Sara's death was an incident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on. Imran (another of Mr Sharif's brothers) did not give a statement that Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. This was spread through a Pakistani media outlet. I am very worried about Imran's safety."
She went on: "All of our family members have gone into hiding as everyone is scared for their safety. The kids are unable to attend school as they're afraid to leave the house. No one is leaving the house.
"The groceries have run out and there is no food for the kids as the adults are unable to leave their homes out of fear for safety." An inquest into Sara's found her cause of death has "not yet been determined" as the search for her family continues.
Sara was previously known to authorities, according to Surrey County Council. Surrey Police said they had "limited and historic contact" with the child and her family.
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