A father is on trial for allegedly beat!ng his 10-year-old daughter to de*th and fleeing the country, after making a harrowing call to police. Urfan Sharif, 42, a taxi driver, is being tried in the UK for the m*rder of his daughter, Sara Sharif. He faces charges alongside Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
The trial, which began on October 14, has revealed disturbing details of the case. Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC stated that the three defendants were involved in a ‘campaign of abvse’ against Sara, leading to her death. Urfan initially admitted to police that he had k!lled his daughter on August 10, 2023.
Sara’s b*dy was found in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, UK, after Urfan, who was in Pakistan at the time, made an eight-and-a-half-minute phone call to the police. During the call, he tearfully confessed, “I’ve k!lled my daughter,” and explained that he “legally punished her” but “beat her up too much,” claiming it was not his intention to k!ll her.
However, Jones highlighted that a post-mortem examination showed Sara had far more injur!es than one beating could cause. She had suffered numerous injur!es, including probable human bite marks, an iron burn, and scald burns from hot water. The jury was told she had also been struck with objects and sustained bra!n damage.
Jones emphasized that Urfan’s confession did not reflect the true extent of the prolonged abvse Sara endured, describing her treatment as “appalling and brvtal.” All three defendants were responsible for Sara during the weeks leading to her death, and a note found at the scene, allegedly written by Urfan, read: “I swear to God that my intention was not to k!ll her, but I lost it. I am running away because I am scared.”
The prosecutor noted that the defendants are now shifting blame onto each other, each denying responsibility for the v!olence and abvse. They deny charges of m*rder and causing or allowing the death of a child between December 16, 2022, and August 9, 2023. The trial, presided over by Mr. Justice Cavanagh, is expected to continue until December 13.