Father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif told police he had killed her, court hears

A court has been informed that the father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif murdered her before escaping to Pakistan. He reportedly contacted the police to admit that he had "punished her too harshly" for her misbehavior.

Sara's body was found at her family's residence in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 of the previous year. Alongside her was a handwritten message from her father, stating, "I promise that I never intended to harm her. I just lost control."

Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, who is 42, along with her stepmother, Beinash Batool, aged 30, and her uncle Faisal Malik, 28, are alleged to have murdered her on August 8. The three defendants lived in the same household and are accused of waging a "campaign of abuse," with Sara reportedly enduring "continuous and severe violence over an extended period."

When the case began at the Old Bailey on Monday, the prosecutor, William Emlyn Jones KC, stated that the results of Sara’s postmortem examination uncovered a "horrific reality."

He stated, "When Urfan Sharif mentioned during that call, 'I beat her up,' he hardly conveyed the true scale of the violence and physical harm that Sara endured. This wasn't just about what happened at the time of her death; she had been subjected to severe assaults and physical abuse for weeks on end."

When the doctors examined Sara’s body, they discovered multiple injuries both on the outside and inside. She had significant bruising, burns, and multiple broken bones, some of which were recent while others were older. Clearly, Sara hadn’t simply been assaulted.

“In the final weeks of her life, the care she received was nothing short of terrible; it was horrific. All the while, the three individuals on trial were the adults residing in the home where Sara experienced pain, endured hardship, and ultimately lost her life.”

The court was informed that the defendants escaped to Pakistan on August 9. Sharif, who works as a taxi driver, contacted the police about an hour after arriving in Islamabad the next day, at 2:47 AM UK time. Jurors listened to an eight-and-a-half-minute recording of the emergency call, during which a distraught Sharif told the operator, "I punished my daughter legally, and she died... I killed my daughter. I killed my daughter."

Later on, when prompted for further clarification, Sharif explained: “She had been misbehaving for the past three or four weeks, and I was trying to discipline her. I did something, and as a result, she lost her life.”

He described himself as a “harsh father” and admitted to leaving home in a state of “panic,” but he wouldn’t reveal his location.

Authorities discovered Sara's body covered with a pink sheet on the bottom bunk of the family's neat and orderly home following a 999 emergency call. Beside her lay a note that read: "I am Urfan Sharif, and I have killed my daughter by beating her. I am fleeing because I am frightened."

An autopsy revealed that Sara suffered from a horrific range of injuries, including fractures that indicated she had endured several instances of blunt force trauma over a period of weeks.

Medical professionals determined that there were instances of “manual strangulation” alongside other potentially even more shocking injuries, such as likely bite marks on Sara's arm and inner thigh. The prosecutor noted that the dental records submitted by Sharif and Malik showed they could not be linked to the bite marks, whereas Batool declined to submit a dental impression.

The prosecutor indicated that the specialists determined Sara suffered burns from a heated iron and had been bound and held, possibly for extended durations. He noted that the similar wounds found on her ankles implied that "hot liquid came into contact with both feet while they were positioned close to each other."

The prosecution claims it is "unbelievable" that any of the defendants could have executed the "abuse campaign" by themselves, asserting that they all share the blame for Sara's death.

"The prosecutor pointed out that no one ever informed any external organizations about Sara's mistreatment that might have been able to help her. According to her medical records, none of her injuries were reported or brought to a doctor's attention, and they were never treated. Furthermore, her school staff was also not made aware of the abuse. There was no effort to seek outside assistance," the prosecutor stated.

The court was informed that Batool made a "composed" phone call to a travel agent to ask about flights to Pakistan on the evening of August 8, 2023, while Sara's body remained in the house.

The jury listened to a recording of a phone call in which Batool inquired about flights to Islamabad for the whole family, excluding Sara.

"It's clear that throughout her life, Sara never received any medical assistance, and this disregard continued even in her final moments. There was no attempt to call emergency services, like 999, to get help for her as she was dying, nor did anyone report her death while they were still at the scene. Their main concern was to leave for Pakistan," the prosecutor stated.

The accused individuals have entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of murder and to the offense of causing or permitting the death of a child, with the incidents alleged to have occurred between December 16, 2022, and August 9, 2023.

The court was informed about a significant dispute developing among the defendants, each trying to shift the responsibility onto one or both of the others.

Sharif has stated that his wife, Batool, was to blame and that his supposed confession was made to shield “the real culprit.” Meanwhile, Batool has accused Sharif, calling him “a harsh disciplinarian who frequently abused Sara.” Malik has rejected any accountability, asserting that he was “completely and happily oblivious to any form of abuse or assault against Sara by anyone at any time,” according to the prosecutor.

The hearing led by Judge Mr. Justice Cavanagh is anticipated to continue until December 13th.