Sara Sharif: Father admitted killing daughter in police call, court hears
Dad Admits In Court To Killing Sara Sharif
Photo credit: Surrey Police
Sara Sharif's remains were discovered at her residence in Woking on August 10 of the previous year.
Christian Fuller and Helena Wilkinson
During a court hearing, it was revealed that the father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif contacted the police from Pakistan and confessed to murdering her at their home in Surrey.
Urfan Sharif revealed this information during an eight-minute phone call about an hour after his family's arrival in Islamabad on August 10 of the previous year, prior to the discovery of Sara's body.
Mr. Sharif, 42, along with Sara's stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, have all pleaded not guilty to the murder of the girl at the Old Bailey.
The jurors were informed that Mr. Sharif's argument was that Ms. Batool was to blame for Sara's death. He claimed that his confession made during a phone call and in a note was untrue, intended to shield her from responsibility.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC informed the court that Sara had endured violent attacks for "weeks on end, at the very least," and then went on to detail the various injuries she had sustained.
He mentioned that Sara suffered from both external and internal injuries, which included severe bruising, burns, and multiple fractures, both old and new.
According to the prosecution, she suffered burns on her buttocks from an iron used in the home, along with six likely bite marks on her arms and legs.
According to the court, dental impressions showed that the male defendants were not responsible for the bite marks. However, Ms. Batool had declined to give the impressions.
Sara sustained injuries to her ribs, shoulder blades, and fingers, along with 11 different fractures in her spine and indications of a traumatic brain injury, the prosecution stated.
Image credit: Surrey Police
Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool, and Faisal Malik are each confronted with two accusations in connection with the death of Sara Sharif.
Mr. Sharif contacted Surrey Police from Pakistan, where the family had sought refuge before his daughter's body was discovered. He informed the operator that he had killed his daughter.
The prosecutor stated that during a call lasting eight minutes and 34 seconds, Mr. Sharif informed the operator that he had "legally punished her" and that she had died.
During the later conversation with the police, jurors reported that Sara's father mentioned to the operator that she had misbehaved and then he physically punished her.
"I didn’t mean to kill her; I just ended up hurting her too badly," Mr. Sharif told the operator, according to the prosecutor.
Mr. Emlyn Jones KC emphasized, “Sara didn’t merely suffer physical abuse. The way she was treated, especially in the final weeks of her life, was horrific and inhumane.”
The court was informed that there was a note written in Urfan Sharif's handwriting found beside Sara's body.
Mr. Emlyn Jones KC stated that the message said: "To anyone who finds this note, I am Urfan Sharif. I killed my daughter by physically assaulting her. I am fleeing because I am terrified, but I assure you that I will turn myself in and accept the consequences."
"I promise you, my goal was never to take her life; I just lost control."
Mr. Emlyn Jones KC stated, "Just like in the 999 call, the note initially seems to admit to causing Sara's death by physically assaulting her."
Jurors were informed that authorities discovered Sara's body on the lower bunk of a bed, covered as though she were peacefully resting.
"But she wasn't just sleeping; she had passed away," Mr. Emlyn Jones KC explained to the jury.
The three individuals accused in this case, who resided with Sara prior to her passing in August of the previous year, are also facing charges for either causing or permitting the death of a child. They refute these allegations.
Mr. Emlyn Jones KC pointed out that each defendant was trying to "shift the responsibility" onto one or the other of the co-defendants.
The prosecution argued that it was "hard to believe" that any of the adults could have committed the abuse "without the involvement, support, and encouragement from the others."
"None of them ever informed any external agency about Sara's abuse, which could have stepped in to help," Mr. Emlyn Jones KC stated.
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