Sara Sharif's tragic last hours shown in final video of her dancing before death

Sara Sharf was seen dancing around her living room as she copied a video of an alien just days before her death, as her dad, uncle and stepmother are on trial accused of her murder

A heart-wrenching video of Sara Sharif dancing just days before her death was shown to jurors in court as her dad, uncle and stepmother are on trial accused of her murder.

Sara, 10, was tragically found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10, last year. Her body was discovered lifeless in a bunk bed with multiple injuries. Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of making the 10-year-old endure severe abuse which led to her death.

All three of them deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. On Monday, Batool's barrister Caroline Carberry, KC, showed footage of the little girl dancing in the living room while watching TV. The recording was said to have been taken just days before her death on August 6 of that year.

In the clip, the schoolgirl seemed happy and energetic and was imitating a video of an alien dancing on the TV. In response to the video, Sara's stepmother cried in the dock at the court. Sara had at least 71 external injuries inflicted on her and was tortured and regularly beaten in the months before she died, the Old Bailey has heard.

Dr Nat Cary, a consultant forensic pathologist who conducted Sara's postmortem today answered questions from defence barristers in the case. Carberry, KC, said her client did not dispute that Sara was subjected to extensive physical abuse over a period of time.

Dr Cary said Sara had fractures from at least four separate episodes of violence which were healed or in the stages of healing and were not the cause of death. Ms Carberry asked if the injuries could be consistent with being caused by a cricket bat or by a pole from a high chair found in the home, and Dr Cary said they could.

He said they could also have been caused by a fist or foot. Sara also had non-fatal bruising to the brain. Dr Cary said it did not appear that Sara was suffering symptoms from her brain injury in the video. Ms Carberry asked: "Do you agree that behaviour is inconsistent with her having sustained a brain injury with neuropsychological symptoms?".

Dr Cary replied: "Yes, she appears to be conscious and moving in a coordinated manner." Ms Carberry suggested this meant Sara was not left to succumb to her injuries "over some days" as Dr Cary had suggested may be a possibility. Dr Cary said if the date of the video was correct there was likely to have been another serious injury sustained between the video and Sara's death.

Batool cried in the dock as the video of Sara dancing was played in court. Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collar bone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separate fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and her hyoid bone in the neck. "Quite how that multiplicity of injuries caused death- there would be a range of possibilities," Dr Cary said.

After the killing Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan, leaving Sara's body in the three-bedroom house. They were arrested more than a month later on September 13 last year at Gatwick Airport having flown back from Dubai.

Sharif, Batool and Malik, all deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. The trial continues.