The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in Britain called police from Pakistan to say he had killed her

LONDON — The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England fled to Pakistan and from there called British police to say he had killed her, a jury heard Monday.

Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at London’s Central Criminal Court, accused of murdering Sara Sharif, along with his partner Beinash Batool and brother Faisal Malik.

Opening the trial, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said all three defendants had played a role in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara that led to her death.

Police found Sara’s body under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, southwest London, on August 10, 2023, with dozens of injuries including extensive bruising and fractures.

Emlyn Jones said the discovery was made after her father called police from Pakistan and said: ‘I killed my daughter. I punished her legally, and she died.” He also told the operator that he didn’t mean to kill her, but that he had “beat her up too much,” the prosecutor told jurors.

Urfan Sharif, Batool and Malik had left Britain for Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on August 9.

Police in Pakistan found the three suspects after an extensive search and put them on a flight to Britain. They were arrested on arrival at London’s Gatwick Airport and remanded in custody.

Emlyn Jones said all three had lived in the same house as Sara and it was ‘unthinkable’ that just one of them had acted alone.

The trio deny murder and causing or permitting the death of a child.

The trial is expected to last until December.