Sara Sharif's dad and stepmum think they are victims, body language expert says
Sara Sharif's dad and stepmum "see themselves as victims" and tried to gain sympathy as they publicly addressed her death, a body language expert has told the Mirror.
Expert Judi James made the remarks after Urfan Sharif, 41, and his partner Beinash Batool, 29, broke their silence and said that "everyone is scared for their safety" following an investigation into Sara's death. It comes after the pair are believed to have fled to Pakistan a day before the 10-year-old was found lifeless in a house in Woking, Surrey on August 10. A post-mortem examination concluded that she had suffered from 'multiple and extensive injuries' over a 'sustained and extended' amount of time.
Officers investigating the case have been keen to speak to the pair, along with Urfan's brother, Faisal Malik. The trio are believed to have travelled with five children aged between one and 13 years old to Islamabad on August 9. In a video message online, Ms Batool said: "Firstly I would like to talk about Sara. Sara's death was an incident. Our family in Pakistan is severely affected by all that is going 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 are 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 of safety. That is why we have gone into hiding. Lastly, we are willing to cooperate with the UK authorities and fight our case in court."
However, Ms James suggested the scripted video was made as a ploy to change how the public perceived them. She also highlighted how Ms Batool only offered two sentences to Sara and described her death as an "incident". 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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Sara was tragically found dead in a property in Surrey (Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)"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: ‘An incident’."
The expert also cited that Mr Sharif appeared "relaxed" in the video and added that his body language displayed "confidence." She continued: "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."
Beinash spoke throughout the video message (Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)
Mr Sharif split from Sara's mother in 2015 (Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)Surrey Police have since issued an update and said they will work with "international partners" as the investigation enters its next stage. Police in Pakistan are said to have raided at least 20 homes in the cities of Mirpur and Jhelum. In a newly released statement, Surrey Police said: "Following the tragic discovery of Sara’s body at her home in Hammond Road, we identified three people we wanted to speak to as part of our investigation into her death, Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and Urfan’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28.
"We were made aware this morning (September 6), of a video apparently featuring Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool that had been obtained by the UK media, in which Beinash Batool suggests that the family may be willing to cooperate with the British authorities. Clearly, this is significant, and we have been liaising with our international partners, including Interpol, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the National Crime Agency, to determine the next steps.
"As you will appreciate, progressing these enquiries through the appropriate channels has to be handled carefully and sensitively. The welfare of the five children who travelled to Pakistan on 9 August is a priority for us. We remain absolutely committed to conducting a thorough investigation into Sara’s death. Any cooperation from the people we want to speak to will assist the enquiry."
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