Sara Sharif's father, stepmother and uncle in court accused of her murder

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Sara SharifImage source, Handout
Image caption,

Sara Sharif's body was found at her home on 10 August

The father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif have appeared in court accused of murdering the 10-year-old.

Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and Urfan's brother, Faisal Malik, 28, all of Hammond Road, Woking, have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.

They appeared at Guildford Magistrates' Court and were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey in London.

Sara's body was found at her home on 10 August.

All three defendants are accused of murdering Sara on or about 8 August, and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The court was told the defendants denied the charges.

The prosecutor said that Sara's body was found in a bottom bunk of a bunkbed in an upstairs bedroom.

The actual cause of her death is still yet to be established, the court heard.

At the end of the 20-minute hearing, district judge Tan Ikram said they would remain in custody until their next court appearance on Tuesday.

Image source, Surrey Police
Image caption,

Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik

The three defendants left the UK for Pakistan on 9 August.

They were arrested at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday evening after five weeks out of the country, disembarking a flight from Dubai.

Early on Friday morning, Surrey Police confirmed they had been charged after just over 28 hours in police custody.