The Old Bailey heard that neighbours of the family's cramped home in Surrey often heard screaming and the sound of a child crying accompanied by 'banging and rattling' as if someone was trying to alert someone that they were trapped behind a door.
Neighbour Rebecca Spencer said she would often hear screams, crying and then 'deathly quiet' when a distraught child fell silent.
Mr Emlyn Jones said: 'On other occasions Ms Spencer would hear other bangs from the flat and which sounded like someone had been hit or smacked….Ms Spencer did consider reporting what she heard to social services but ultimately decided against it.'
A new tenant Chloe Redwin similarly described hearing a child screaming followed by their Batool shouting, 'shut the f up' and 'go to your room you f b', it was said.
Ms Redwin would also frequently hear the mother refer to children as 'c*', jurors were told.
The prosecutor said: 'On occasions Ms Redwin would hear sounds of smacking; they were shockingly loud and would be followed by gut-wrenching screams of a young female child.
'Over the screaming she would hear the mother shout, 'shut up' and sometimes the sounds of further smacking would be heard followed by shouting.'
None of the neighbours alerted the authorities as Sara seemed 'smartly dressed' and there were no obvious signs of injury, it was said.