Sara Sharif trial latest: ‘I’m a very bad dad’ father tells jury as he admits trying to blame wife for death
Urfan Sharif told jurors ‘I accept every single thing’ while his wife sobbed in the dock
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Sara Sharif’s father has told jurors he is a “very bad dad” as he continues to give evidence at the murder trial of his daughter after admitting to beating her on Wednesday.
Under questioning, the taxi driver admitted that he had lied in order to “blame” Beinash Batool for Sara’s death, and had accused her of tying her up.
On Wednesday, he told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for killing the 10-year-old after brutally beating her, as he stands trial for her murder.
The taxi driver 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.
Trial adjourns for lunch
The trial has adjourned for the lunch break and will resume at 2pm.
Sharif claims to have used cricket bat only once
Giving 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
Speaking 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'
Urfan 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
Under 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
Returning 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
The 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?
Urfan 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
Sara 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
Urfan Sharif says his 10-year-old daughter ‘died because of me’ – but continues to deny murder