LONDON: In a shocking development during the murder trial of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, the court was informed that her father, Urfan Sharif, confessed to her killing in a distressing 999 call made from Pakistan.

In the call, the 42-year-old admitted to police that he had “legally punished” his daughter, leading to her death.

The chilling details emerged as the prosecution began presenting its case at the Old Bailey, where Sharif is on trial alongside Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29. All three defendants are accused of Sara’s murder and have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Aug 10 last year, officers discovered Sara’s lifeless body at her family home in Woking, Surrey, after Sharif made an eight-and-a-half-minute call to police from Pakistan. Speaking to the 999 operator, Sharif tearfully confessed, “I beat her up, it wasn’t my intention to kill her but I beat her up too much,” before pleading with officers to visit the house, where his daughter was “alone”.

The court heard him admit that Sara had been “naughty” for several weeks, prompting his decision to punish her. “I tried to resuscitate her, I tried to give her CPR, but I failed,” Sharif told the operator. He described himself as a “cruel father”, admitting that the incident had occurred 36 hours earlier.

Father admits to killing her during ‘punishment’, court told

When police arrived at the address, they found Sara fully clothed in her bed, lying under a blue blanket. Next to her body was a note written by Sharif, confessing to the murder. The note read: “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.” In the note, Sharif also expressed his fear and stated that he was fleeing but would eventually return to face the consequences.

He had also written: “Love you Sara”. A second piece read: “My daughter is Muslim. Can you burry (sic) her like Muslim may be. I will be back before you finish the postmortem.”

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The prosecution outlined Sara’s injuries as “extensive and appalling”, revealing that she had been subjected to weeks of brutal abuse. The young girl had suffered dozens of injuries, including broken bones, burns, and extensive bruising, none of which had been reported to the authorities.

Prosecutor Emlyn-Jones KC told the jury: “This was not just a beating; Sara had endured a campaign of abuse. Sara had not just been beaten up. Her treatment, certainly in the last few weeks of her life, had been appalling. It had been brutal. And throughout, these three defendants were the adults living in the house where Sara had lived, where she had suffered, and where she had died.”

CCTV footage played during the trial showed the three defendants boarding a flight from Heathrow Airport to Islamabad on Aug 9, hours before Sharif made the call to police. A recording of Batool attempting to book flights was also presented, in which she calmly enquired about different flight options the evening before they fled the UK.

The prosecution argued that all three defendants were complicit in the abuse, suggesting it was inconceivable that such a level of violence could have occurred without their collective knowledge or participation. “None of them reported Sara’s abuse to any outside agency,” the prosecutor stated. “They are all responsible for her death.”

Jurors were told that 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, 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.

The trial continues, with jurors set to hear more evidence over the coming weeks, and is expected to run until Dec 13.

The case has drawn widespread attention, highlighting the tragic consequences of unchecked domestic abuse. On social media, many users reacted to news reports of the father’s confession to killing her with shock and outrage. Many said they hoped the father “got what he deserved” and that it was “very upsetting” to know what happened to the young girl. One user urged Muslims to speak out against the abuse of women and girls in Asian communities.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024