In London, the father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl is currently on trial, where he claims his wife urged him to confess to their daughter's murder. Urfan Sharif, 42, along with Sara Sharif's stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, are all accused of Sara's murder on August 8 of last year. They deny causing or allowing her death.
The Old Bailey court heard that all three suspects left their home in Woking, near London, the day after Sara’s death, traveling to Pakistan. Police later found Sara's body, which showed signs of multiple fractures, bruises, burns, and bite marks, following a tip from Sharif in Islamabad.
During his fourth day of testimony, Sharif expressed devastation over Sara’s death, explaining that he fled based on Batool’s claim that another of his children had beaten Sara, making him fear for their safety.
Before leaving, he left a note taking responsibility, reading, "Whoever sees this note, it's me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating." However, he claimed in court that the note was written at his wife's direction and that he accepted blame to protect his other children.
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On August 9, 2023, Sharif left the house keys under the doormat for police access and planned to alert authorities about Sara’s death once he was abroad. A recording played in court captured Sharif’s distressed call to UK police from Islamabad, where he stated, "I killed my daughter," and gave directions to the house. He also added, "I promise I'll come back."
Sharif, Batool, and Malik returned to the UK a month later and were subsequently arrested.
