November 5th 2024.
Urfan Sharif, a father from Woking, Surrey, was accused of murdering his 10-year-old daughter, Sara Sharif. In court, he denied any involvement in her death and wept as he did so. He maintained that he did not bite, burn, or beat his daughter to death. Sara was found lifeless in her home on August 10, 2023.
During the hearing at the Old Bailey, Sharif and his wife, Beinash Batool, 30, and Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, all pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. The family had recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and were arrested upon their arrival at Gatwick Airport on September 13 of last year. Sharif's defense lawyer, Naeem Mian, KC, directly asked him if he was responsible for Sara's death, to which he replied with a firm "No."
Sharif also denied the accusations that he had bitten, burned, or beaten his daughter with a cricket bat or a white pole. He was visibly emotional as he spoke about Sara, describing her as a beautiful, angelic and bubbly child. He shared that her favorite food was chicken biryani and that she disliked eating bread. Sara was also passionate about playing the guitar and singing, and her dream was to become a ballet dancer when she grew up. Sharif also mentioned that her favorite adult was her grandad, his father, and her favorite color was pink.
When asked if he had ever beaten Sara, Sharif admitted to slapping her but denied ever physically harming her. He stated that although he had flaws in his life, he would never beat his daughter. Mian argued that Sharif had been wrongly portrayed as the villain in this case, as he only disciplined Sara with a slap. Sharif also claimed that Batool had hit him on the head with a lemon squeezer when he first expressed his desire to leave, and on another occasion, she attacked him with a broom.
Sharif spoke softly, and the judge had to remind him to speak louder so that the jury could hear him. The court was previously informed that Sara was found dead in her bed at home. The post-mortem examination revealed that she had multiple injuries, including bruises, bite marks, puncture wounds, and abrasions from significant blunt force trauma. She had also suffered from 11 spinal fractures, broken ribs, collar bone, shoulder blades, and broken arms, hands, and fingers. The examination concluded that Sara had been beaten with objects, strangled, and was "close to death" due to a series of head injuries.
Sharif claimed that he had tried to give Sara CPR and begged for an ambulance on August 8, but was told to leave her be as she was already dead. The court also heard that Sharif had previously fought for custody of Sara, as he believed that his ex-wife, Olga Sharif, had been abusing their daughter. In a series of texts between Batool and her sister, Qandeela Saboohi, Batool had complained about Sharif taking her bank card and cash, which left her unable to shop for herself. She also mentioned that Sharif had been breaking things in the house, and she wanted to end their relationship. Batool had shared screenshots of messages between her and Sharif, where he had stated that both Batool and Sara made his life a living hell. In these messages, he had also threatened to "sort out" Sara once she returned home.
Sharif, Batool, and Malik all maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
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