Sara Sharif’s father inflicted “inhuman” violence upon his daughter, which was “completely normalised” in the family household, jurors have heard.
In a dramatic admission in the witness stand, Urfan Sharif told jurors he lied to them in a bid to blame his wife for the schoolgirl’s death.
Under questioning at the Old Bailey, Sharif said accusations he had made against Beinash Batool of tying up and beating his daughter were not true.
Asked if he had lied and tried to implicate someone else, the taxi driver replied: “Yes.”
He confessed to hitting the schoolgirl with a cricket bat as she was bound with packaging tape as well as to repeatedly throttling her with his bare hand – and to hitting her with a metal pole as she lay dying.
He continues to deny her murder, telling the court: “She died because of me. I didn’t want to kill her.”
During the early hours of 10 August last year, Sharif had called Surrey Police after fleeing to Pakistan to say he had beaten his daughter “too much” for being “naughty” and that she had died.
Sharif, Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, all formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, Surrey, deny murder and causing or allowing the 10-year-old’s death and the trial continues.
Key points
- Father denies Sara Sharif’s body stripped and jetwashed in garden
- Father admits restraining Sara by her wrists and feet to beat her
- Leaving phone behind in Pakistan was attempt to manipulate evidence, jury told
- Father denies assaulting daughter on weekend before her death
‘Inhuman’ violence dished out to Sara Sharif became ‘normalised’ by adults in her home
16:00 , Holly EvansThe “inhuman” violence meted out to Sara Sharif was “completely normalised” in the family with all three adults “in on it”, jurors have heard.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of being party to years-long abuse which culminated in her death last August.
The 10-year-old was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, the day after the defendants fled to Pakistan, the Old Bailey has heard.
Read the full article here:
‘Inhuman’ violence dished out to Sara Sharif by adults in her home, court told
What happened on Friday?
15:35 , Holly EvansOn Friday, jurors at the Old Bailey heard prosecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC continue his cross-examination of Urfan Sharif, before Sara’s father’s own lawyer asked a second round of questions.
It was heard:
- Sara Sharif’s father has denied her battered body was stripped and jetwashed in the garden as the family prepared to flee to Pakistan.
- Urfan Sharif told jurors: “I didn’t do what a father should have done and I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
- The taxi driver denied beating his daughter over the weekend before her death, despite a post-mortem indicating she had suffered a traumatic brain injury that was around 48 hours old.
- Sharif left his mobile phone in Pakistan, meaning its contents were unable to be assessed by Surrey Police
Who are the defendants on trial?
15:10 , Holly Evans
Court adjourns for the day
14:32 , Holly EvansThe trial has adjourned until Monday and will resume at midday.
Father denies Sara Sharif’s body stripped and jetwashed in garden
13:57 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s father denied her battered body was stripped and jetwashed in the garden as the family prepared to flee to Pakistan.
The 10-year-old was wearing clean clothes when her body was found in a bunkbed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, after Sharif called police on arrival in Islamabad, the Old Bailey has heard.
Her soiled leggings and nappy were discarded in the garden near a jetwash with packaging tape and hoods in the bin, jurors were told.
Mr Emlyn Jones suggested the evidence showed she was then taken into the garden, stripped of her dirty leggings and nappy and cleaned.
He asked: “She wasn’t in the garden? You haven’t taken her to the shed? You had a lot to do to tidy up, the house was left immaculately tidy and the bin was full of packing tape, various hoods. And the body of Sara was cleaned, wasn’t it?
“She wasn’t in the clothes she died in when you left the house, so she had been cleaned and washed?
“There was a jetwash out in the garden with her dirty clothes and the rest of the rubbish. Those are the leggings Sara died in, entwined with a filthy nappy, bundled up with two towels, soaking wet.”
Sharif had told jurors he only cleaned Sara’s head and did not remove her clothes.
Trial adjourns for lunch
12:53 , Holly EvansThe trial has adjourned for the lunch break and will continue at 2pm.
‘I’ve been mean with her,’ Sharif tells jury
12:52 , Holly EvansAddressing Sharif in the witness box, Naeem Mian KC said: “A couple of days ago now you stood up there and you said to the jury and his Lordship that I have something to say before any questions were put to you. Do you remember doing that?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“And then you switched from plan A to plan B. Just to take it broadly, plan A was to blame your wife Batool.
“And now plan B, you have stood there day after day and said ‘I take responsibility, I’m to blame, it was all me, it was nothing to do with Batool, it was nothing to do with Faisal’. Can you help us please with this; everybody may be wondering why you have suddenly after six days start saying it’s my responsibility?”
Sharif responded: “She was my daughter. I’ve been nasty, I’ve been mean with her. I couldn’t care for her, I didn’t do what a father should have done and I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
He did however deny causing the bite marks, the burn injuries and placing a hood over her face.
Sharif says he ‘doesn’t know’ when was last time he beat his daughter
12:46 , Holly EvansTaking questions from his own lawyer, Urfan Sharif said “didn’t know” when the last time he beat his daughter before hitting her on the Tuesday.
He repeatedly denied beating her over the previous weekend, despite post-mortem evidence showing that she had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
He also denied placing the white pole which he used to strike her in an outbuilding in the garden.
Prosecution finishes cross-examination
12:28 , Holly EvansProsecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC has finished his cross-examination of Urfan Sharif.
His own lawyer Naeem Mian KC is set to ask his client a further set of questions, after his admissions on Wednesday.
Sara Sharif’s father denies Beinash Batool had already assaulted schoolgirl
12:25 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif has denied that Beinash Batool had previously assaulted Sara as she lay dying, before calling him to ask him to return home from his work shift.
“Was the pole already in the room because before you got back, she had already been assaulted by the pole for ‘pretending’ to be ill and you came in and took over as you had done before?,” Mr Emlyn-Jones asked.
“Sara is being disciplined but sometimes the big stick is required so then you get the call, ‘she’s being naughty, she’s your daughter’, is that why the pole was in the room and you beat her while she was dying?”
“I didn’t know she was dying,” he responded.
During this exchange, the prosecutor accused Sharif of looking at Beinash Batool in the dock.
Urfan Sharif denied assaulting Sara over the weekend before her death
12:08 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s father maintained that he had only beaten his daughter twice with a metal pole on her abdomen on the Tuesday evening while she lay dying, and had not assaulted her in the previous days.
“That weekend she suffered a brain injury from blunt force trauma to her head,” Mr Emlyn Jones KC said. “She had suffered a concusion which was at least 48 hours old, which takes us to Sunday evening and leads us to the weekend.”
“That’s not right sir,” he responded.
He also claimed that he was only inside the property for a few minutes after returning from work before Sara passed away.
“You didn’t do anything to help her did you? Three adults in that house, all with telephones, any one of them could take Sara to the hospital,” the prosecutor said.
He admitted he had lied about Batool insisting they did not contact the emergency services, and said he was “scared” when deciding to flee to Pakistan.
“None of you wanted the police anywhere near the place,” Mr Emlyn-Jones said.
Urfan Sharif left his phone in Pakistan
11:45 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif has been accused of “manipulating” the evidence in the case, after leaving his phone in Pakistan which could not be examined by police officers.
Reading out one of the few messages available from Sharif to his wife, it read: “Sara cut my laces. You and Sara have made my life hell. Once she is at home, sort her out before I do.”
“Do you agree that single sentence gives us an insight into Sara’s nightmare existence?”, he was asked. “Yes sir,” he responded.
“It’s the only message we have from you to your wife about Sara because we haven’t got your phones isn’t it?, Mr Emlyn-Jones said. “There would be tons of these wouldn’t there?
“You were discussing it in those messages but when you went to Pakistan you made sure those phones didn’t come and we are denied the treasure trove of what those messages would reveal to us.
“It is another way in which you have manipulated the case to try and make it go to your advantage, get rid of the evidence of those phones, the photos and videos.”
Sharif denied those allegations.
Beinash Batool accused of helping to ‘cover up’ Sharif’s crimes
11:31 , Holly EvansBeinash Batool has been accused of trying to help her husband cover up his violent abuse of Sara, to ensure that he didn’t “get busted”.
Referring to a text message Batool sent her sister in May 2022 which read “He beat her up yesterday. I can’t send her to school looking like that”, the prosecutor claimed they had been conspiring together to maintain the abuse.
“You’re conspiring together aren’t you, to keep your violent treatment a secret from the rest of the world?”, Mr Emlyn-Jones asked. “I was wrong sir,” he responded.
Referring to Sharif’s repeated claims last week that his wife was a “psycho”, the prosecutor said: “It’s very easy to blame Beinash Batool if she was being every bit as bad as you.”
Sara made to wear nappies as a ‘solution to maintaining restraint’
11:17 , Holly EvansJurors have been told that Sara was discovered wearing a soiled nappy at the time of her death, despite being 10 years old.
“I’m sure you’ll agree with me 10 year old girls don’t normally need nappies do they,” the prosecutor asked, to which Sharif agreed.
The court had previously heard Sharif claim his wife had told him it was a “normal thing” for young girls to look control of their bowels, to which he responded he had been “selfish”.
“Why wouldn’t she, age 10, jump into the shower or bath? For some reason you had to do it. You had to come home and do it,” the prosecutor questioned - I did a few times sir
“So help us, is that because Sara was restrained and couldn’t get herself to the bathroom? Because she as being kept tied up? That would explain why she would have to wear a nappy?
“She was taped up and then there was a problem that if you leave a little girl taped up, she needs to go to the loo and soils herself, and then you beat her. That is disgraceful isn’t it Mr Sharif? The nappies were a solution to maintaining restraint weren’t they Mr Sharif?”, Mr Emlyn-Jones asked.
Sharif responded “no sir” to the above questions.
Sharif admits restraining Sara by her wrists and feet to beat her
10:58 , Holly EvansOpening questioning by repeating Urfan Sharif’s previous admissions to Batool’s lawyer Caroline Carberry KC, prosecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC asked: “In the last few weeks of Sara’s life, there were occasions she was bound with tape?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“And then she said bound by you?”
“ Yes,” Sharif said.
“You are accepting that?”, Mr Emlyn-Jones probed to which Sharif agreed.
The taxi driver denied that the two other defendants assisted him in restraining the schoolgirl.
“You’re taking that one?,” the prosecutor asked. “Yes,” he replied.
He admitted that he had bound his daughter by the hands and wrists and had then beaten her with a pole.
“We have to imagine Sara being restrained by packing tape, if she wasn’t defencless enough against you with a weapon Mr Sharif, and when bound you beat her with the pole yes?”, the prosecutor asked.
“Yes sir,” he admitted while shaking his head.
Trial resumes
10:35 , Holly EvansThe trial of Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik has resumed at the Old Bailey.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates.
What is set to happen today?
10:30 , Holly EvansThe cross-examination of Urfan Sharif is set to resume once again, with prosecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC to continue questioning.
On Thursday, he called the taxi driver a “coward” as jurors heard that violence was “completely normalised” within their household, as Sara’s father admitted using a cricket bat on his daughter.
Recap: ‘Inhuman’ violence dished out to Sara Sharif became ‘normalised’ by adults in her home
10:00 , Holly EvansThe “inhuman” violence meted out to Sara Sharif was “completely normalised” in the family with all three adults “in on it”, jurors have heard.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of being party to years-long abuse which culminated in her death last August.
The 10-year-old was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, the day after the defendants fled to Pakistan, the Old Bailey has heard.
Read yesterday’s full court report here:
‘Inhuman’ violence dished out to Sara Sharif by adults in her home, court told
Listen: Sara Sharif’s father tells 999 operator he’s killed daughter
09:35 , Holly EvansSharif accused of being the ‘common denominator’
09:10 , Holly EvansOn Thursday, Michael Ivers KC, for Malik, questioned Sharif about evidence that Sara was the second child connected with him to suffer bite marks and iron burns.
He said: “What are the chances that two children you are connected with ended up with burns from a domestic iron and bite marks?”
Sharif replied: “I was not blamed for that. It wasn’t me. I did not bite.”
Mr Ivers asserted: “Of course it’s not a coincidence, you are the common denominator.
“Did you tell someone to do so? Did you have an idea how she (Sara) should be punished? Is that the truth of all of this?”
Sharif replied: “There are certain things I can’t explain. I’ve got no words.”
In pictures: Who was Sara Sharif?
08:53 , Holly Evans
Sara’s injuries were similar to those suffered by falling 20ft from a roof
08:37 , Holly EvansThe court heard Sara suffered a number of spine fractures from the beatings, similar to those sustained when a child falls 20ft from a roof.
Mr Emlyn Jones pressed: “You did that to Sara by hitting her with the force as if she had fallen from a second storey roof again and again and again.
“Last time to do the decent thing: When you beat Sara so hard with a cricket bat that you broke her spine did you intend to cause her at least a serious injury.”
Sharif replied: “No.”
Mr Emlyn Jones asserted: “You are a coward because you will not admit what you have done.”
“You are a coward, aren’t you, because it’s a coward who bullies and beats a child to make himself feel in control and it’s a coward who sits there and tries to blame other people for it.
Watch: Sara Sharif’s family arriving at Heathrow Airport hours before girl’s body found
08:17 , Holly Evans‘How low will you stoop?’, Sharif asked by prosecutor
07:55 , Holly EvansIn another tense moment of cross-examination, Sharif suggested it “kids” who had inflicted a large burn across Sara’s buttocks, which had been caused by a domestic iron.
“To do that to Sara to press and hold an iron across both of her buttocks, would it take two people to do that?,” prosecutor Wiliam Emlyn-Jones KC said.
“Would someone have to hold her down, would someone have to restrain her? There’s no sign of her wriggling around while being branded by an iron. So who was it?”.
“It must have been kids,” Sharif responded.
“How low will you stoop? An injury that will have caused her dreadful lasting pain that was still unhealed, open and gaping when she died. An injury said to have been at least two weeks old, at least two to six weeks or more, made worse by the fact she was being made to wear a dirty nappy contaminated with urine and faeces,” Mr Emlyn-Jones said.
Prosecutor insists all defendants must have known about the abuse
07:32 , Holly EvansOn Thursday, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC insisted all the defendants must have known what was going on in the house.
He said Batool knew Sharif would deliver a beating on the many occasions she called him home because Sara had been “sick” or “naughty” but she did it anyway.
“She is setting her up for a beating. She’s making the call that makes the beating happen, she is calling it on and she is responsible for that, isn’t she?” he said.
Sharif denied it.
Thursday recap: Urfan Sharif admits blaming his wife for Sara’s death
07:00 , Alex CroftHere are the key points from Urfan Sharif’s questioning in the dock on Thursday:
- Sharif admitted he had lied during earlier evidence, saying that “everything” that he said was wrong. He said: “I did lie. You can’t imagine my pain, I’m a bad dad, I’m a very bad dad but I’m still a father.”
- Sharif admitted trying to blame Beinash Batool, his wife and Sara’s stepmother, for Sara’s death. He accused her of tying up and beating his daughter. He was asked whether he “lied and then tried to implicate someone else,” to which he confirmed: “Yes sir.”
- Repeated accusations of domestic abuse were no more than a coincidence, Sharif insisted. He has been accused of abusive and controlling behaviour in three previous relationships.
- Sharif maintained that he had only used a cricket bat to hit Sara once, and that he had not hit her in the head. When asked to explain how Sara died, he said: “I can’t explain.”
- Sharif reiterated that he “takes responsibility” for Sara’s death. “I’ve been selfish blaming other people for something they didn’t do,” he said.
- Sharif told the court he had been “nasty” and “mean” with his daughter.
In pictures: Inside the home where Sara Sharif’s body was found
06:00 , Alex Croft
Police bodycam footage from night Sara Sharif's body was discovered
04:30 , Alex CroftRecap: Sara Sharif had suffered multiple fractures across 25 locations on her body, court told
03:00 , Holly EvansSara Sharif suffered 25 unexplained fractures in multiple locations across her body, as well as an “extremely rare” neck injury that a radiologist had never seen before in a child, a court has heard.
A skeletal scan had revealed ten fractures to her spine, as well as ones to her right clavicle, left and right scapular, to her spine and ribs, elbow and hands.
Professor Owen Arthurs, who conducted an examination of the 10-year-old’s body, concluded that these had been most likely caused by “multiple episodes of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks”.
Read the full report:
Sara Sharif suffered multiple fractures across 25 locations on her body, court told
Prosecution begins to examination of Sara’s father
01:30 , Alex CroftProsecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC has begun to question Sara Sharif’s father on Thursday afternoon.
In his final stage of cross-examination by his brother’s lawyer Michael Ivers KC, he insisted he had returned back to the UK in September 2023 for his daughter.
He agreed that he had not carried out his abuse in front of his brother, nor had they informed his parents in Pakistan of Sara’s abuse, as this would have “gone down like a lead balloon”.
Pictured: Moment Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were arrested in Gatwick Airport
00:00 , Alex Croft
‘I take responsibility for it,’ says Sharif
Thursday 14 November 2024 23:17 , Alex CroftUrfan Sharif once again admitted responsibility for Sara Sharif’s death on Thursday, after giving conflicting versions of events on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Under cross examination, he said that he had been aware of Sara’s injuries and the full extent of them once he was arrested and interviewed by the police.
‘I can’t explain’ how Sara died, says Urfan Sharif
Thursday 14 November 2024 22:35 , Alex CroftGiving a contrasting version from Wednesday’s admissions, Sharif maintained that he had only used the cricket bat once on his daughter and had not hit her on the head.
When repeatedly asked to explain how Sara had died in court earlier today, Sharif responded: “I can’t explain.”
Speaking of his family’s reaction in Pakistan, Mr Ivers KC said: “It will have come as a body blow to all of them when they read it yesterday because you’ve lied to everyone haven’t you?”
Sharif nodded and confirmed in response.
“You’re busy pointing the blame at everyone else but yourself, is that fair?”, to which Sharif said: “Yes sir.”
He also claimed that on the day of her death, he had seen Sara sitting watching TV while eating snacks, and denied that he had been forced to return from Pakistan due to “pressure” placed upon his family.
ICYMI: Faisal Malik had spent increasing time away due to family’s cramped living conditions
Thursday 14 November 2024 21:51 , Holly EvansSpeaking of his brother’s presence in the household, Sharif confirmed that Faisal Malik spent large portions of his spare time out of the cramped flat in West Byfleet.
Neighbours had previously given evidence that they heard “screaming and crying” as well as the rattling of doors while the family were living at the small maisonette.
As a result of Malik moving to the UK to study in Portsmouth in December 2022 and staying with his older brother, Batool was required to “cover up” while Malik had to maintain his distance.
The court heard that Malik had then moved with the couple in April 2023 to their council home in Woking, but had to remain “cautious” given that he legally should not have been residing at the property.
Report: Sara Sharif’s father ‘can’t explain’ similar burns and bites on two children
Thursday 14 November 2024 21:10 , Alex CroftSara Sharif’s father had no answer as to how his daughter and another child suffered similar domestic iron burns and human bites, despite being the “common denominator”.
For more than a week in the witness box, taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, had denied murdering his 10-year-old daughter following a years-long campaign of abuse.
Sara was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, last August 10, after Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, fled to Pakistan.
Read the full report:
Sara Sharif’s father ‘can’t explain’ similar burns and bites on two children
I wasn’t raised like this, Sharif says
Thursday 14 November 2024 20:32 , Alex CroftSharif, who was raised in Pakistan, admitted that his parents had not brought up him up in a particularly disciplinarian household.
His ideas of discipline which he used against Sara had “come from him”.
“Did you have an idea about how children should be punished? Is that the truth about all of this?”, Mr Ivers KC asked.
“There’s certain things I can’t explain, I have no words,” Sharif said.
Repeated accusations of domestic abuse were a ‘coincidence’, Sharif says
Thursday 14 November 2024 19:56 , Alex CroftUrfan Sharif has been accused of multiple former partners of domestic violence.
He has repeatedly denied being the “common denominator”, after it emerged that three of his previous girlfriends, who were all Polish, had accused him of controlling behaviour, which included locking them inside and taking their passports.
This was a “coincidence”, Sharif said. He denied that he chose partners based on their vulnerability and his ability to control them.
Pictured: The note left beside the body of Sara Sharif by her father, Urfan
Thursday 14 November 2024 19:18 , Alex Croft
Why did Urfan Sharif lie about abusing Sara?
Thursday 14 November 2024 18:45 , Alex CroftUrfan Sharif accused his wife, Beinash Batool, of tying up and abusing his daughter.
When under questioning, Sharif admitted he had lied in order to “blame” Banoosh for Sara’s death.
Given the nature of Sara’s injuries, Sharif admitted he had never broken a bone and had not experienced its pain.
“I don’t want to upset people but she must have screamed and cried and heavens know what and you did those,” Mr Ivers KC said. “Yes sir,” he responded.
“And for a whole week you tried to blame someone else for what you did?”. He replied: “Yes sir.”
“It’s not just you lied, you lied and then tried to implicate someone else,” Mr Ivers said, to which he again confirmed: “Yes sir.”
Urfan Sharif admits lying during cross-examination
Thursday 14 November 2024 18:12 , Alex CroftReturning to the witness stand earlier today, Sharif admitted to not telling the truth during his previous evidence.
“I was wrong”, he responded when asked why he had not told the truth during his earlier evidence by Malik’s lawyer Michael Ivers KC.
“Wrong in what sense? Tell us some of the things that were wrong?”, Mr Ivers said. Sharif responded: “Everything was wrong.”
However, he insisted that his tearful response to questioning had been “real” and that his “pain” over his daughter’s death was genuine.
In a heated interaction, Mr Ivers KC said: “Your actions weren’t you mourning the loss of your daughter, it’s you seeking to persuade these 12 people of a pack of lies, isn’t it?
He responded: “I did lie. You can’t imagine my pain, I’m a bad dad, I’m a very bad dad but I’m still a father.”
Report: Sara Sharif’s father ‘takes full responsibility’ for her death in dramatic courtroom admission
Thursday 14 November 2024 17:40 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s father has told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the death of his 10-year-old daughter.
In a dramatic appearance at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, the taxi driver said “I accept every single thing” while his wife, Beinash Batool, sobbed in the dock.
During the early hours of 10 August last year, Mr Sharif had called Surrey Police after fleeing to Pakistan to say he had beaten his daughter “too much” for being “naughty”, and that she had died.
Read the full recap of a dramatic court session on Wednesday:
Sara Sharif’s father ‘takes full responsibility’ for her death in dramatic admission
Wednesday recap: ‘I didn’t want to kill her’, Sharif says
Thursday 14 November 2024 17:08 , Alex CroftAfter his dramatic admission on Wednesday, Sharif asked for the murder charge against him to be put to him again but after a lunchbreak appeared to change his mind and insisted he was not guilty.
He told jurors: “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her.”
Ms Carberry responded: “But you did harm her. What did you intend when you took a cricket bat to a 10-year-old girl?”
The defendant said: “I did wrong. I didn’t think anything.”
Ms Carberry asked: “Do you accept that you killed her?”
Sharif said: “She died because of me. I didn’t want to kill her.”
Recap: What happened to Sara Sharif?
Thursday 14 November 2024 16:35 , Alex CroftSara was found dead in a bunkbed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, last August 10, the day after her father, stepmother and uncle fled to Pakistan.
Urfan Sharif had phoned police on arrival at Islamabad and admitted he had beaten Sara “too much”, having left a written confession on a pillow beside her body.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered dozens of injuries including at least 25 broken bones, human bite marks, and burns on her bottom and feet.
The defendants were arrested on a plane at Gatwick Airport when they returned to the UK last September 13.
Watch: The moment Sara Sharif’s family were detained by police on a plane
Thursday 14 November 2024 16:03 , Alex CroftFather says he was ‘mean’ towards his daughter
Thursday 14 November 2024 15:31 , Holly EvansRepeating his statement from yesterday, Sharif admitted: “She died because of me because I hit her.”
While being questioned by the prosecution, the 42-year-old backtracked on his admission yesterday that he had hit her repeatedly with a cricket bat, and said it had only occurred once.
However, he said he had hit her a “few times” on this occasions, and had previously beaten her with a metal pole.
“I have been nasty, I had been mean with my daughter,” he said.
Sharif says he has been ‘selfish’ blaming Batool for Sara’s death
Thursday 14 November 2024 15:08 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif has admitted that he was the “bad one” in the family, and claimed that Beinash Batool had attempted to stop him “many times”.
When asked about his dramatic change in position on Wednesday, which saw him take “full responsibility” for what had happened to Sara, Sharif responded: “I’ve been selfish blaming other people for something they didn’t do.”
In a tense exchange, Mr Emlyn-Jones said: “You started off trying to save yourself, you literally tried to get away with murder didn’t you?”
He responded: “The death of Sara yes.”
“It’s important for you to emphasise the death of Sara, you don’t like the word murder do you? You are still trying to get away with murder, aren’t you?” Mr Emlyn-Jones said.
“Because I didn’t want to kill her, I did not want to harm her,” Sharif responded.
Taxi driver admits parenting of Sara was ‘very bad'
Thursday 14 November 2024 14:53 , Holly EvansOpening his questioning, Mr Emlyn-Jones KC began with a series of questioning about Sharif’s method of “disciplining” his children.
“You accept your parenting of Sara was impatient?” he said. “I don’t have the words to describe it,” he said.
“Unkind?,” he asked. “Yes sir.”
“Was it cruel?”, to which he agreed again.
“And it was violent?,” the prosecutor asked to which the taxi driver responded: “I’m not sure about that.”
“You’re not accepting your parenting of Sara was violent?” he was asked.
He subsequently responded his treatment of his daughter “was very bad”.
Prosecution begins to examine Sara’s father
Thursday 14 November 2024 14:40 , Holly EvansProsecutor William Emlyn-Jones KC has begun to question Sara Sharif’s father.
In his final stage of cross-examination by his brother’s lawyer Michael Ivers KC, he insisted he had returned back to the UK in September 2023 for his daughter.
He agreed that he had not carried out his abuse in front of his brother, nor had they informed his parents in Pakistan of Sara’s abuse, as this would have “gone down like a lead balloon”.
‘I take responsibility for it,’ says Sharif
Thursday 14 November 2024 14:23 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif has once again admitted responsibility for Sara Sharif’s death, after giving conflicting versions of events on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Under cross examination, he said that he had been aware of Sara’s injuries and the full extent of them once he was arrested and interviewed by the police.
Trial adjourns for lunch
Thursday 14 November 2024 13:15 , Holly EvansThe trial has adjourned for the lunch break and will resume at 2pm.
Sharif claims to have used cricket bat only once
Thursday 14 November 2024 13:11 , Holly EvansGiving a contrasting version from Wednesday’s admissions, Sharif maintained he had only used the cricket bat once on his daughter and had not hit her on the head.
When repeatedly asked to explain how Sara had died, Sharif responded: “I can’t explain.”
Speaking of his family’s reaction in Pakistan, Mr Ivers KC said: “It will have come as a body blow to all of them when they read it yesterday because you’ve lied to everyone haven’t you?”
Sharif nods and confirms.
“You’re busy pointing the blame at everyone else but yourself, is that fair?”, to which Sharif said: “Yes sir.”
He also claimed that on the day of her death, he had seen Sara sitting watching TV while eating snacks, and denied that he had been forced to return from Pakistan due to “pressure” placed upon his family.
Faisal Malik had spent increasing time away due to family’s cramped living conditions
Thursday 14 November 2024 12:24 , Holly EvansSpeaking of his brother’s presence in the household, Sharif confirmed that Faisal Malik spent large portions of his spare time out of the cramped flat in West Byfleet.
Neighbours had previously given evidence that they heard “screaming and crying” as well as the rattling of doors while the family were living at the small maisonette.
As a result of Malik moving to the UK to study in Portsmouth in December 2022 and staying with his older brother, Batool was required to “cover up” while Malik had to maintain his distance.
The court heard that Malik had then moved with the couple in April 2023 to their council home in Woking, but had to remain “cautious” given that he legally should not have been residing at the property.
Sharif insists repeated accusations of domestic abuse were a ‘coincidence'
Thursday 14 November 2024 11:49 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif has repeatedly denied being the “common denominator” after being accused by multiple former partners of domestic violence.
Three of his previous girlfriends, who were all Polish, had accused him of controlling behaviour, which included locking them inside and taking their passports.
He insisted that it was a “coincidence” and denied choosing his partners due to their vulnerability and his ability to control them.
Jurors also heard that Sharif had been raised in Pakistan and that his parents had not instilled a disciplinarian regime towards their children. He admitted that his ideas of discipline, which he used against Sara, had “come from him”.
“Did you have an idea about how children should be punished? Is that the truth about all of this?”, Mr Ivers KC asked.
“There’s certain things I can’t explain, I have no words,” Sharif said.
Father admits trying to ‘blame’ his wife for daughter’s death
Thursday 14 November 2024 11:34 , Holly EvansUnder questioning, Sharif admitted that he had lied in order to “blame” Beinash Batool for Sara’s death, and had accused her of tying up and beating his daughter.
Given the nature of Sara’s injuries, Sharif admitted he had never broken a bone and had not experienced its pain.
“I don’t want to upset people but she must have screamed and cried and heavens know what and you did those,” Mr Ivers KC said. “Yes sir,” he responded.
“And for a whole week you tried to blame someone else for what you did?”. He replied: “Yes sir.”
“It’s not just you lied, you lied and then tried to implicate someone else,” Mr Ivers said, to which he again confirmed: “Yes sir.”
Urfan Sharif admits lying during cross-examination
Thursday 14 November 2024 11:24 , Holly EvansReturning to the witness stand, Sharif responded “I was wrong” when asked why he had not told the truth during his earlier evidence by Malik’s lawyer Michael Ivers KC.
When asked “Wrong in what sense? Tell us some of the things that were wrong?”, he responded: “Everything was wrong.”
However, he insisted that his tearful response to questioning had been “real” and that his “pain” over his daughter’s death was genuine.
In a heated interaction, Mr Ivers KC said: “Your actions weren’t you mourning the loss of your daughter, it’s you seeking to persuade these 12 people of a pack of lies, isn’t it?
He responded: “I did lie. You can’t imagine my pain, I’m a bad dad, I’m a very bad dad but I’m still a father.”
Trial resumes
Thursday 14 November 2024 11:06 , Holly EvansThe trial of Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik for the murder of Sara Sharif has resumed.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from court.
What can we expect today?
Thursday 14 November 2024 10:54 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif is set to take to the stand once again for cross-examination, with his brother Faisal Malik’s lawyer set to continue questioning.
William Emlyn-Jones KC, the prosecutor, is then set to re-examine Sharif following his dramatic admissions on Wednesday.
While denying murdering his 10-year-old daughter, the taxi driver admitted:
- Using brown packing tape to bind his daughter before beating her with a pole or a cricket bat
- Repeatedly hitting her over the head with a mobile phone and tightening his hands around her neck on more than one occasion
- He accepted that he had repeatedly injured his daughter, but denied that he had killed her, saying he “wasn’t thinking”
- Sharif denied using his Marks and Spencer belt to throttle her, and denied burning her buttocks and biting her arm
Full story: Sara Sharif’s father ‘takes full responsibility’ for her death in dramatic courtroom admission
Thursday 14 November 2024 10:39 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s father has told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the death of his 10-year-old daughter.
In a dramatic appearance at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, the taxi driver said “I accept every single thing” while his wife, Beinash Batool, sobbed in the dock.
During the early hours of 10 August last year, Mr Sharif had called Surrey Police after fleeing to Pakistan to say he had beaten his daughter “too much” for being “naughty”, and that she had died.
Read the full story here:
Sara Sharif’s father ‘takes full responsibility’ for her death in dramatic admission
Watch: Police bodycam footage from night Sara Sharif’s body was discovered
Thursday 14 November 2024 10:08 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s stepmother was victim of ‘honour-based abuse’, court told
Thursday 14 November 2024 09:40 , Holly EvansSara Sharif’s father was attracted to her stepmother because she was a vulnerable young victim of “honour-based abuse”, a court has heard.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial for Sara’s murder, along with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29.
On Tuesday, Batool’s lawyer rejected Sharif’s claim that she was violent towards Sara, saying he was the one who was controlling, abusive and manipulative.
Read the full article here:
Sara Sharif’s stepmother was victim of ‘honour-based abuse’, court told
Sharif tells jurors: ‘I didn’t want to kill her’
Thursday 14 November 2024 09:20 , Holly EvansAfter his dramatic admission on Wednesday, Sharif asked for the murder charge against him to be put to him again but after a lunchbreak appeared to change his mind and insisted he was not guilty.
He told jurors: “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her.”
Ms Carberry responded: “But you did harm her. What did you intend when you took a cricket bat to a 10-year-old girl?”
The defendant said: “I did wrong. I didn’t think anything.”
Ms Carberry asked: “Do you accept that you killed her?”
Sharif said: “She died because of me. I didn’t want to kill her.”
In pictures: The family home where Sara Sharif was killed
Thursday 14 November 2024 09:01 , Holly EvansRecap: What happened to Sara Sharif?
Thursday 14 November 2024 08:51 , Holly EvansSara was found dead in a bunkbed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, last August 10, the day after her father, stepmother and uncle fled to Pakistan.
Urfan Sharif had phoned police on arrival at Islamabad and admitted he had beaten Sara “too much”, having left a written confession on a pillow beside her body.
A post-mortem examination found she had suffered dozens of injuries including at least 25 broken bones, human bite marks, and burns on her bottom and feet.
The defendants were arrested on a plane at Gatwick Airport when they returned to the UK last September 13.
Watch: Video captures moment Sara Sharif’s family detained by police on plane
Thursday 14 November 2024 08:33 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif admits to brutally beating daughter – even whacking her with metal pole as she lay dying
Thursday 14 November 2024 08:00 , Tara CobhamSara Sharif’s father has admitted to brutally beating the 10-year-old – and even whacking her with a metal pole as she lay dying.
As the schoolgirl lay collapsed and dying in her stepmother Beinash Batool’s lap last 8 August, Urfan Sharif continued the years-long campaign of abuse, jurors were told.
That day, Sharif admitted he armed himself with a pole after being called home by Batool.
Defence barrister Caroline Carberry KC, for Batool, said: “When you went into the room it was clear Sara needed medical help.
“You said to Beinash that Sara was just pretending that she was just acting up. And you took the metal pole that you had taken upstairs and you gave her a couple of whacks with it on her abdomen, while she was lying there very unwell.”
Sharif agreed and wept in the witness box.
Sharif admits tying his daughter with tape before beating her
Thursday 14 November 2024 07:46 , Holly EvansUrfan Sharif occasionally bound his daughter with tape before beating her with a pole or cricket bat in the weeks leading up to her death in August 2023, the Old Bailey heard.
It was put to him that he bound Sara with tape, and he responded “yes ma’am”.
Asked if he had used the brown packing tape that had been ordered from the family’s Amazon account that 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’s not right”.
Sharif later added “I did beat her with a pole, but no sit-ups and squats”.
He denied binding Sara in order to stop her from running away or try to defend herself.
