Sara Sharif murder trial latest: Schoolgirl found with ‘disturbing’ injuries as father’s 999 call revealed
In a 999 call, Urfan Sharif told the operator: ‘I legally punished her, and she died’
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Schoolgirl Sara Sharif was discovered dead with “disturbing” injuries which included bitemarks, scalding and broken bones, in what has been described as a “campaign of abuse”.
She was found at her family home in Woking after her father, Urfan Sharif, called Surrey Police from Pakistan to say he had “legally punished” the schoolgirl but that she had died.
Officers discovered the 10-year-old’s body in a bedroom at an address on Hammond Road on 10 August last year, with a handwritten note from her father reading: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it”, before adding he was running away.
The court heard she had suffered “extensive” injuries over a prolonged period.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is standing trial at the Old Bailey alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, who are all accused of killing her.
The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road in Woking, have pleaded not guilty to her murder and to causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.
The trial before Mr Justice Cavanagh is due to go on until 13 December.
What did Urfan Sharif say in his 999 call?
In a harrowing phone call that lasts over eight minutes, jurors heard Urfan Sharif reporting his daughter’s death to Surrey Police, telling them: “I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her but I beat her up too much.”
He can be heard crying down the phone, pleading with officers to visit the address and saying: “Can you send someone, my daughter is alone.”
Asked what had happened, he said: “I think she was naughty over the last three, four weeks and I was giving her punishment to sort her out and I did something and she died.”
When asked if she was breathing, he said: “I tried to resuscitate her I tried to give her CPR everything but I failed, I panicked.
“She is dead I am telling you.”
He adds that he will return to the property and told the operator: “It happened 36 hours ago, I’m a cruel father.”
Key dates in Sara Sharif death after alleged ‘campaign of abuse’
Ten-year-old Sara Sharif died after an alleged “campaign of abuse” in the home she shared with her father, stepmother and uncle.
Here is a timeline of how events unfolded, according to the prosecution.
– April 2023
Father Urfan Sharif informs Sara’s school that she will be home-schooled with immediate effect.
– 6 April 2023
Sara and her family move to a three-bedroom house in Hammond Road in the Horsell area of Woking.
– 8 August 2023
8.38pm – A child sends a WhatsApp message to a school friend labelled “urgent”, saying that Sara had “just passed away”.
9.07pm – Beinash Batool, Sara’s stepmother, calls Southall Travel agency to ask about flights to Pakistan but after 50 minutes the call ends without flights being arranged.
10pm – Sharif contacts Nadeem Riaz, who works for a money transfer business, and says he needs a flight to Pakistan the next day.
– 9 August 2023
9.25am – CCTV captures Sharif and his family arriving at Heathrow Airport to take a flight to Pakistan at 2pm.
– 10 August 2023
2.47am – Sharif has arrived in Pakistan and phones police in the UK, saying: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died. She was naughty. I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”
Police go to the family home in Woking and find Sara’s body in a bed with a note by the pillow in Sharif’s handwriting.
– 15 August 2023
A post-mortem examination is undertaken which concludes Sara’s death was not a natural one. There were alleged signs of blunt force trauma inflicted over several weeks, bruises, iron burns to the buttocks, restraint marks and suspected human bite marks, jurors heard.
– 6 September 2023
Sharif and Batool appear in a short video clip provided to and broadcast by Sky News in which Batool refers to Sara’s death as an “incident”.
– 13 September 2023
Sharif, Batool and Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik take a flight into Gatwick and are met by police who arrest them on the plane.
– 14 October 2024
The three defendants, of Woking, Surrey, go on trial at the Old Bailey, having denied murder and causing or allowing Sara’s death.
What have the defendants said?
The defendants, of Hammond Road in Woking, have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.
The prosecutor told the jury that all three defendants “played their part” in the violence and it was “inconceivable” that just one of them had acted alone.
Addressing the jury, Mr Emlyn Jones said: “Ask yourselves, how could just one person have carried out so much abuse, so many assaults, without the others knowing about it and witnessing it with their own eyes?
“If any one of them was not a part of it, but had seen it, why then was nothing done to stop it, or report it?”
He continued: “Each of them denies that they were the one responsible for any of that violence and abuse.
“Each of them seeks to deflect the blame onto one or both of the others, to shift responsibility away from themselves, onto someone else. In other words, they are pointing the finger at each other.”
Jurors were told Sharif’s case was that his wife, Batool, was responsible for Sara’s death and his confession was false to protect her.
Batool accused Sharif of being a violent disciplinarian and she was fearful of her husband, Mr Emlyn Jones said.
Malik’s case is that whoever was responsible it was not him and he was unaware of what was going on, the prosecutor added.
What did Urfan Sharif write in his note?
In a handwritten note, which an expert had examined and concluded belonged to Sharif, he wrote on a piece of paper: “Love you Sara.”
A second piece read: “Whoever see this note its me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I am running away because I am scared but I promise that I will hand over myself and take punishment.’
“I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her but I lost it. My daughter is Muslim. Can you burry (sic) her like Muslim may be. I will be back before you finish the postmortem.”
Jury told Sara Sharif’s father told police ‘I legally punished her and she died’
The father of Sara Sharif fled to Pakistan after allegedly killing the 10-year-old and called police to say “I legally punished her and she died”, a court has heard.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of her murder alongside Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
Opening their trial on Monday, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said all the defendants had played a part in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara leading to her death.
Read the full article here:
Jury told Sara Sharif’s father told police ‘I legally punished her and she died’
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of her murder alongside Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik.
Recap: Key takeaways from today
Opening the prosecution case against Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle, jurors at the Old Bailey heard:
- Urfan Sharif called Surrey Police during the early hours of 10 August and told them: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died.”
- Officers found the 10-year-old under a blanket in a bunkbed at the family home in Surrey, with a handwritten note next to the pillow in Sharif’s writing. The note said: “It’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.
- A post-mortem examination found that Sara had died of extensive injuries after enduring a prolonged period of abuse, which included bruising, burns and broken bones.
- The three family members fled to Pakistan on 9 August and were arrested over a month later on 13 September after returning to the UK.
Sara Sharif timeline leading to arrest
Key dates in Sara Sharif death after alleged ‘campaign of abuse’
The youngster’s father Urfan Sharif is on trial accused of her murder alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik.
Trial adjourns for the day
The trial of Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle has been adjourned for the day and will resume on Tuesday at 10.30am.
Defendants seeking to ‘deflect the blame’ onto one another
The prosecutor told the jury that all three defendants “played their part” in the violence and it was “inconceivable” that just one of them had acted alone.
Mr Emlyn Jones KC said: “Each of them denies that they were the one responsible for any of that violence and abuse.
“Each of them seeks to deflect the blame onto one or both of the others, to shift responsibility away from themselves, onto someone else.
“In other words, they are pointing the finger at each other.”
Jurors were told Sharif’s case was that his wife, Batool, was responsible for Sara’s death and his confession was false to protect her.
Batool accused Sharif of being a violent disciplinarian and she was fearful of her husband, while Malik’s case is that whoever was responsible it was not him and he was unaware of what was going on.
Schoolgirl had suffered ‘disturbing’ bite marks
Sara Sharif was “beaten” with objects and had suffered from human bite marks on her lower left arm and inner thigh, the court heard.
An examination of the 10-year-old’s body also found a “pattern of injuries” and “signs of traumatic brain injury”, the prosecution said.
Regarding the leg injury, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said it had “marks which indicated that the teeth had been dragged across the surface and with central bruising probably the result of suction.”
While Sharif and Malik had provided dental impressions for comparison which had ruled them out, Batool had refused to do so.
Other injuries included to Sara’s ribs, shoulder blades, fingers and 11 separate fractures to the spine, Mr Emlyn Jones said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.