Sara Sharif case: Father confesses to killing 10-year-old daughter in UK trial

Sara Sharif's father admitted to taking "full responsibility" for her death, a court at the Old Bailey heard on Wednesday.

Urfan Sharif, 42, along with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, had been standing trial for the murder of 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl Sara, whose body was discovered with extensive injuries at their home in Woking, Surrey, in August last year.

All three had previously denied involvement in her death.

However, during cross-examination, Urfan made an unexpected confession, saying, "She died because of me."

The court had earlier been told of the horrific abuse Sara endured over a period of two years, during which she was subjected to beatings, burns, and other forms of physical torment.

According to BBC, Urfan had initially claimed that Batool was responsible for his daughter’s death, alleging that he had falsely confessed in both a phone call and a handwritten note to protect his wife.

But in a dramatic turn of events, during the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, Urfan reversed his stance.

"I admit what I said in my phone call and my written note. Every single word," he told the court.

During questioning by Batool’s barrister, Caroline Carberry KC, Urfan was asked directly, “It was you who inflicted those injuries on her, wasn’t it?”

"Yes," he replied.

“On the night of 6 August, you badly beat Sara?”

"Yes," he confirmed.

He further confessed to causing fractures to his daughter’s body and admitted to using both a cricket bat and a metal pole during the assault.

At this point, Batool, who had been sobbing throughout the testimony, abruptly left the courtroom in distress, causing the hearing to be temporarily suspended.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Sara had suffered dozens of injuries, including “probable human bite marks,” burns from an iron, and scalding from hot water in the days leading up to her death on August 8, 2023.

The prosecution, led by Bill Emlyn Jones KC, had previously presented evidence of the violence Sara endured, including a bloodstained cricket bat and other items found near the family’s outhouse: a rolling pin with Sara’s DNA, a metal pole, a belt, and a length of rope.