Sara Sharif killer wants inquest with jury

Image source, Surrey Police Image caption, Sara's body had dozens of injuries, including bite marks By Joshua Askew  and  Matt Graveling , South East Published 5 hours ago The woman who murdered her stepdaughter Sara Sharif has asked for the inquest into her death to be held in front of a jury. Beinash Batool and Sara's father Urfan Sharif were jailed for life in 2024 after the 10-year-old was found dead at the family home in Woking. She had been violently abused in a "campaign of torture" lasting two years. Bite marks, an iron burn and scalding from hot water were among dozens of injuries found on her body in a post-mortem examination. On Monday, Batool's lawyer Dr Anton van Dellen said jurors would help determine if Sara was failed by people who were scared of being accused of racism. "This is just the type of judgement where a diverse local jury would provide a helpful perspective," he added. A review into the 10-year-old's death found that services in Surrey failed to properly investigate why Sara started wearing a hijab - that covered her bruising - for " fear of causing offence ". Neighbours also said they were worried about "being branded as being racist" if they reported concerns. Image source, Surrey Police Image caption, Sara's body was found at her family home in Woking The eight-week inquest will also examine what state agencies knew, or ought to have known, about Sara's safety in the run up to her murder. Surrey County Council has previously apologised for what happened and said it had taken "robust action" to address earlier findings. Sara's father and stepmother both attended the hearing via video links from prison. Senior coroner for Surrey, Richard Travers, said he would consider holding the inquest with a jury at the next hearing. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Sara Sharif loved to sing and play the guitar and dreamed of being on The X-Factor Batool said she wanted to give evidence at the inquest, which will not take place until April 2027 . Sara's father did not have legal representation and at one point began criticising evidence his former partner wished to submit. The coroner told him: This is not a re-trial, we are not going behind any findings that were made by the criminal court, I am not interested in the comments you have to make on any documents." Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, was found guilty of causing or allowing Sara's death and jailed for 16 years. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook , external , X , external , and Instagram , external and listen to BBC Radio Surrey on Sounds . Send your story ideas to [email protected] , external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Related topics Woking Surrey County Council More on this story Lack of trust and racism concerns: Five key failings in Sara Sharif review Published 15 November 2025 Listen: Sara Sharif - The 999 Call Sara Sharif: Smiles, songs and dreams of X Factor Published 11 December 2024