The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on Thursday denied murdering her and blamed the girl’s stepmother, calling her “evil” and “psychotic”.
Sarah Sharif was found dead in her bed in Woking, south-west London, on August 10, 2023, with injuries including broken bones, burns and bite marks.
Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, died with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29, the day before her body was found. Faisal Malik fled to Pakistan.
Urfan Sharif called British police shortly after arriving in Islamabad and said he had “beaten her too much”. During the trial, Urfan Sharif said he made up this and another confession to “protect my family.”
A month later, all three adults were arrested upon their return to the UK. They deny charges of murder and allowing a child to die.
London’s Old Bailey court detailed the extent of Sara’s injuries, including Benash Batur’s claim that Urfan Sharif would severely beat his daughter.
Giving evidence on a third day, Urfan Sharif admitted slapping Sara “multiple times” but denied beating, burning or biting her and insisted he was “never at home” when she was injured.
Bite marks
Urfan Sharif broke down when his lawyer Naeem Mian questioned whether he hit Sara, who was home-schooled, with a cricket bat.
The taxi driver denied burning his daughter with an iron and instead said he was “forced” to hit Sara by Benash Batur, who had repeatedly accused his daughter of bad behavior.
Urfan Sharif pointed at Benash Batur who was sitting in the dock and shouted: “I should not believe her… I did not realize that I was living in evil and psychosis”.
He also said Benash Batur was the one who bit her “like an animal”.
The jury had previously heard that Urfan Sharif and Faisal Malik provided impressions of their teeth but Benash Batur refused.
“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t Faisal either. Who else is in the family?” Urfan Sharif said.
He denied ever realizing Sarah was in pain. “She never told me,” he said, adding that he saw no injuries because Sara was wearing a long-sleeved top and pants and a headscarf.
“manipulative”
Mian said that in the month before Sara’s death, Urfan Sharif was away from home working from early morning to late at night, while frequently talking on the phone to Beinash Batool, who At home most of the time.
Urfan Sharif cried as he recalled a time when he came home and saw Sara’s hands tied behind her back with brown packing tape and blamed Benash Batur’s behavior.
When asked why he did not call the police or ask Benash Batur to leave, Urfan Sharif said his wife was “manipulative” and that he believed her apology.
“I’ve always been an idiot,” he added.
Forensic evidence presented in court included bundles of packaging tape and a white plastic bag that was fashioned into a hood to fit over Sarah’s head.
The court heard the bag was covered with packaging tape and had long brown hair on it that matched Sarah’s DNA.
There were fingerprints on the non-stick side of the bag and tape, which matched those of Urfan Sharif, who denied using the plastic bag to make a turban or using it on Sara.
He said the fingerprints may have been left when he handled items while sorting trash.
Urfan Sharif had previously accused Benash Batur of insulting him and preventing him from asking about the reason for Sara’s injury.
In 2022, Beinash Batool texted her sister that Urfan Sharif suggested using makeup to cover up bruises after beating Sara, to which she replied: “Haha you can See, this is going to happen.
Urfan Sharif said that a few days before her death, Sara, who was responsible for doing housework, asked him “not to go to work.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
