Father admits to the jury that she died because of me, but still denies the murder

Sara Sharif’s father has told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the 10-year-old’s murder after brutally beating her as he stands trial for her murder.

In a dramatic confession at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Urfan Sharif, 42, told jurors: “I accept everything” as his wife and co-accused, Beinash Batool, sobbed in the dock.

The taxi driver admitted hitting the schoolgirl with a cricket bat while she was tied up with packing tape, and repeatedly strangling her with his bare hand – and hitting her with a metal pole as she lay dying.

Despite this, he continues to deny killing her, telling the court: “She died because of me. I didn’t want to kill her.”

In the early hours of August 10 last year, Sharif had called Surrey police after fleeing to Pakistan to say he had hit his daughter “too much” because she was “naughty” and that she had died.

Sharif had previously tried to blame Batool for the murder of Sara, who was found dead in a bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, with a range of serious injuries including human bite wounds and iron burns, the court heard .

Sharif, Batool and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, all formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, Surrey, deny murder and causing or permitting the 10-year-old’s death and the trial continues.

Key points

Summary: What happened to Sara Sharif?

08:51 , Holly Evans

Sara was found dead in a bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10, the day after her father, stepmother and uncle fled to Pakistan.

Urfan Sharif had called the police upon arriving in Islamabad and admitted to hitting Sara “too much” after leaving a written confession on a pillow next to her body.

Post-mortem examinations revealed she had suffered dozens of injuries, including at least 25 broken bones, human bite marks and burns to her buttocks and feet.

The defendants were arrested on a plane at Gatwick Airport on September 13 as they returned to Britain.

Watch: Video captures the moment Sara Sharif’s family is detained by police on the plane

08:33 , Holly Evans

Urfan Sharif admits to brutally beating his daughter and even hitting her with a metal pole as she lay dying

08:00 am , Tara Cobham

Sara Sharif’s father has admitted to brutally beating the 10-year-old – even hitting her with a metal pole as she lay dying.

As the schoolgirl collapsed and died in her stepmother Beinash Batool’s lap on August 8, Urfan Sharif continued the years-long campaign of abuse, jurors were told.

That day, Sharif admitted to arming himself with a pole after being called home by Batool.

Lawyer Caroline Carberry KC said on behalf of Batool: “When you entered the room it was clear that Sara needed medical attention.

“You told Beinash that Sara was just pretending to be just behaving. And you took the metal pole you had brought upstairs and gave her a few whacks on the stomach while she lay there very sick.”

Sharif agreed and cried on the witness stand.

Sharif admits he tied up his daughter with tape before beating her

07:46 , Holly Evans

Urfan Sharif occasionally tied up his daughter with tape before hitting her with a pole or cricket bat in the weeks leading up to her death in August 2023, the Old Bailey heard.

He was told that he had tied Sara up with tape, and he replied “yes ma’am”.

When asked if he had used the brown packing tape ordered through the family’s Amazon account in July, he said “yes ma’am.”

Caroline Carberry KC, for Beinash Batool, asked Sharif if he had forced Sara to do squats while her ankles and wrists were bound with tape, to which he said: ‘No ma’am. No ma’am, that is not right.”

Sharif later added: “I did hit her with a pole, but no sit-ups and squats”.

He denied binding Sara to prevent her from running away or trying to defend herself.

Sara Sharif’s father confesses to killing a schoolgirl but continues to deny the murder

7:00 am , Tara Cobham

Sara Sharif’s father has confessed to killing the 10-year-old, but insisted he did not intend to “harm” her as he continues to deny her murder.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, had tried to blame Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, for a string of injuries, claiming he was at work when his daughter was abused.

On the seventh day of his testimony at the Old Bailey, he told jurors he took “full responsibility” for what had happened but had no intention of hurting his daughter.

He further admitted to hitting Sara with a cricket bat while she was tied up with packing tape.

He repeatedly strangled her with his bare hands, broke the hyoid bone in her neck, and hit her in the head with a cell phone, he said.

He denied burning her buttocks with an iron, biting her arm or putting a belt around her neck, the Old Bailey heard.