Sara Sharif: Father begged to save his daughter but was told to ‘leave it’, his defence says

Sara Sharif’s father tried to save his daughter and begged for an ambulance but was told “leave it, she’s already dead”, his defence team told jurors.

Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering the 10-year-old girl, along with her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29.

Sara was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August 2023.

Taxi driver Sharif had called police from Pakistan, telling them he had beaten her “too much”.

Warning: This article contains details readers may find distressing

He denied physically abusing and killing Sara as he began to give evidence in his defence on Tuesday.

The jury has heard Sara suffered dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks.

Asked by his barrister, Naeem Mian KC, if he was responsible for Sara’s death, Sharif said: “No”.

Mr Mian suggested Sharif had been wrongly portrayed as the “villain of the piece”.

Sharif had been at work when Sara collapsed at her home on 8 August last year, the court heard.

Jurors heard Batool told him to “come home” and he later found Sara “upstairs, with Beinash Batool, limp”.

“Having been told what had happened, he said ‘I will take the blame’,” Mr Mian added.

“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’.”

Sharif wept in the witness box as he described his daughter, saying: “She was beautiful, an angel, lovely, bubbly.

“Her hobby was playing guitar and singing, her wish for what she wanted to be when she grew up was a ballet dancer.

“Her favourite adult was her grandad, my father. Her favourite colour was pink.”

Mr Mian said: “Did you beat your biological daughter, Sara?”

Sharif replied: “I did slap her. I have lots of flaws in my life, but I never beat her. Never.”

The defendant also denied “controlling” his wife Batool, saying they had a traditional relationship – he worked and she was the “boss” at home.

The barrister said Batool had refused to give dental impressions to compare with bite marks on Sara.

All three defendants deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.

The trial continues.