Sara Sharif’s stepmother Beinash Batool was today described as the ‘true villain’ in the 10-year-old’s murder, a court heard.
Naeem Mian, KC, defending Sara’s father Urfan Sharif said he had been wrongly cast as the ‘villain of the piece’ when his second wife Beinash Batool, 30, was responsible.
Sharif had been working when Sara collapsed at home last August 8 and Batool told him to come home, the court heard.
Mr Mian told jurors: ‘He came home and found her upstairs with Beinash Batool, limp. He will tell you that he asked “What the hell has happened?”.
‘Having been told what had happened, he (Sharif) said “I will take the blame”.
‘He will tell you that he attempted CPR, that he begged for an ambulance to be called as he did CPR. And he was told in Urdu or Punjabi “Leave it, she’s dead, leave it, she’s dead”.’
Urfan Sharif (left), 42, who is charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child
Beinash Batool, 30, is also accused of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child
Sara was found to have ten spinal fractures and further fractures to her right collar bone, both shoulder blades, both arms, both hands, three separate fingers, bones near the wrist in each hand, two ribs and her hyoid bone in the neck
Sharif claimed today that Batool ‘beat me up’ prior to Sara’s death.
He told the Old Bailey that Batool had lied to him and social services falsely claiming that she had twins with a previous partner.
Sharif said Batool sent birthday cards and showed him photographs of the twins, but he later learnt the children did not exist.
He accused Batool of slapping him in the face on one occasion and claimed she had lied for years about her previous relationship with a drug dealer.
Earlier today, Sharif sobbed in court as he denied killing his daughter. He also denied beating Sara to death before going on the run to Pakistan.
The 42-year-old later dabbed his eyes with a tissue as he said he had never bitten his daughter, burnt her, nor hit her with a cricket bat or white pole.
The court heard Sharif made a tearful 999 call to the police from Pakistan claiming he had killed his daughter saying: ‘I legally punished her and she died.’
But Sharif denied being ‘responsible’ for her death today.
Sara’s body was found under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, in August
The Old Bailey heard that Sharif had previously fought for custody of Sara after accusing his ex-wife Olga Sharif of abusing her.
Social services intervened following allegations of ‘domestic violence and child abuse’ around 2019.
Sharif told jurors that he enrolled in a domestic violence course, nutrition, first aid and ‘dad discipline’ parenting course after been accused of domestic violence and controlling and coercive behaviour by his ex-wife.
But Guildford Family Court decided to award Sharif full custody in October 2019 after Sharif claimed Sara’s mother Olga was responsible.
Sharif told jurors: ‘I have never been violent’.
Defence barrister Naeem Mian, KC, asked him: ‘Are you, Urfan Sharif, responsible for the death of Sara Sharif?’ ‘No,’ Urfan replied.
‘Did you, Urfan Sharif, bite Sara Sharif?’ Mr Mian asked. ‘Never,’ Urfan replied.
‘Did you, Urfan Sharif, burn Sara Sharif?’ Mr Mian asked. ‘No,’ Urfan replied.
‘Did you, Urfan Sharif, beat Sara Sharif with a cricket bat?’ Mr Mian said. ‘No,’ Sharif replied.
‘Did you beat Sara with a white pole?’ Mr Mian asked. ‘No,’ Urfan replied.
The family home in Woking, Surrey, where the body of 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found
The Old Bailey has previously heard that the schoolgirl was found dead lying under the pink covers of her bunk bed at her home in Woking.
She had suffered an appalling catalogue of injuries following a brutal campaign of violence.
Her whole body was covered in bruises, bite marks, puncture wounds and abrasions from significant blunt force trauma.
She had been tied up, possibly to a hot pipe, scalded with hot water, and had burn marks on her buttock from an iron.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had been ‘beaten’ with objects, strangled, and was ‘left severely unwell, close to death’ from a series of head injuries.
In addition, Sara had 11 spinal fractures and suffered broken ribs, collar bone, shoulder blades, both of her arms, her hands and some of her fingers were fractured.
Naeem Mian, KC, defending, told jurors that Sharif believed Sara’s injuries were sustained in fights with other children.
Mr Mian said Sharif was ‘no angel’, but he ‘didn’t know what was going on at home’.
He told jurors that Sharif would have to ‘physically discipline’ Sara on occasion with a ‘slap’, but not with a cricket bat or pole.
Mr Mian said Sharif tried to give Sara CPR and begged for an ambulance to be called on August 8, but he was told ‘leave it, she’s dead’.
Sharif is said to have decided afterwards, ‘I will take the blame,’ jurors were told.
Sharif and Batool deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.
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