Neighbour of Sara Sharif had 'door slammed in face' by stepmother after 'constant screaming and crying'

24 October 2024, 00:48 | Updated: 24 October 2024, 00:51

A former neighbour has told jurors that 10-year-old Sara Sharif's stepmother once slammed the door in her face after the "constant screaming and crying" coming from the flat reached "fever pitch".

Beinash Batool, 30, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering Sara alongside the 10-year-old's father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.

Sara was found dead in a bunkbed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year, after Sharif alerted police from Pakistan, saying he had "beat her up too much", jurors have heard.

On Wednesday, a former neighbour recalled the sound of children crying and screaming when she lived above the Sharif family's former flat in West Byfleet, Surrey, between 2018 and 2020.

Giving evidence form behind a screen, Rebecca Spencer told jurors that Sara's father worked as a taxi driver, often leaving Batool at home.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC asked: "What, if anything, could you see or hear from that flat downstairs?" Ms Spencer said: "Just crying. And then rattling the doors, there was a lot of doors slamming, also the stepmother screaming...

"I would hear the stepmother shout at Sara because she shouted her name."

Ms Spencer went on to describe hearing "a kind of thwack" accompanied by the sound of "telling off" and "screaming".

She said: "The family were never quiet when it came to closing doors. It almost sounded like they were locked in a bedroom, the constant rattling of the door, trying to get it open."

The rattling noises were frequent and normally heard with Batool screaming, Ms Spencer added.

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"I could tell that she (Batool) had lost her temper, there could have been a bang that could have been a smack, I don't know."

Emlyn Jones KC asked if she had ever gone to the flat below hers because of the noise.

Ms Spencer said: "Yes, on one occasion it was fever pitch so I went downstairs and said 'Is everything OK in here'?"

Batool replied "Yes" before slamming the door in her face, the witness said.

Asked what noises had prompted her to go downstairs, she replied: "Just general constant screaming, crying."

When pressed about what kind of swear words Batool used when speaking to the children, the witness said "f****** bastards".

Ms Spencer became emotional as she described Sara as a "lovely little girl".

Bodyworn camera footage of first officers arriving at Sara Sharif house

The court heard that Ms Spencer, who worked from home, had thought about making a formal report about the family downstairs but ultimately decided against it.

Chloe Redwin moved into the upstairs flat in November 2022 and was subjected to noise from downstairs from her first night until the Sharif family moved out around April 2023, the court heard.

She told jurors she heard smacking sounds, saying: "It was a person smacking another person. A smack followed by a scream and then being told 'Go to your room'."

Ms Redwin said: "Some nights were louder than other nights. Even during the day you would hear noise. The only time it was quiet was when they were away on holiday."

The witness, who gave evidence by video-link, said she also heard an adult female voice, often saying 'Shut the f*** up", "Shut the f*** up you bastard" and "Shut the f*** up, you c****."

Jurors were told the female adult would make those remarks in response to a "distressed scream" that sounded like it came from a child aged seven or eight.

On how the woman sounded, Ms Redwin said: "The tone was very loud. In my opinion it was very aggressive. It was almost forceful, she had a determination behind what she was saying."

There were other instructions to the child, she said: "I heard shouting 'Go to your room'. Mostly the word 'bastard' would follow."

Mr Emlyn Jones asked: "Did you ever hear the adult male voice in this way or at all?"

Ms Redwin replied: "No."

Sara would hang out wet laundry and bring it in dry and was the only family member Ms Redwin saw take the rubbish out.

The prosecution has alleged that Sara had died following a campaign of abuse and within hours the defendants had booked a flight out of the country.

A post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered dozens of injuries including "probable human bite marks", an iron burn and scalding from hot water.

Jurors have heard that Batool and Sharif have blamed each other for Sara's death.

All three defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.