Sara Sharif’s dad was attracted to wife because she was ‘vulnerable’ victim of ‘honour-based abuse’, court hears

The father of murdered Sara Sharif was attracted to her stepmother because she was a vulnerable young victim of “honour-based abuse”, the Old Bailey has heard.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial for his 10-year-old daughter’s murder along with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29.

Batool’s lawyer today rejected Sharif’s claim that she was violent towards Sara, saying he was the one who was controlling, abusive and manipulative.

Caroline Carberry KC suggested that when Sharif first met Batool, she was 20 and “vulnerable”.

Sharif, who is 12 years older than Batool, denied getting hold of her phone number from a shopkeeper at Woking station, insisting they met in his taxi.

Ms Carberry said he had known that Batool had been a “victim of honour-based” abuse and been placed in a refuge when she was a teenager.

“You knew the older people in her family thought she had shamed them by running away from home. Do you agree she was an isolated and lonely young woman?

“When you met her it was very obvious this was a young woman who was isolated from her family and struggling at that time in the world, a vulnerable young woman.

“A vulnerable young woman, just the way you like your partners to be,” Ms Carberry said.

Sharif replied: “No, she is anything but vulnerable.”

Jurors were shown a mobile phone video which Sharif had earlier claimed was evidence of Batool stopping him from leaving their home.

Ms Carberry told Sharif he “twisted” the event to make it appear like an abusive episode but the fact he filmed it demonstrates “how controlling you were”.

But Sharif replied: “That’s not right, she locked me in again and again and again.”

Ms Carberry pointed to a message from Batool to her sister about Sharif ripping up family photographs.

Batool told her: “I’m so dumb. I don’t want to live in an abusive relationship … seriously I’m so done with this.”

Ms Carberry said the messages showed Sharif was “a little unhinged” and “paranoid” and Batool’s “assessment she was in an abusive relationship with you is true”.

Sharif replied: “That’s not right.”

Jurors heard how Sharif had successfully fought for custody of Sara in 2019, in large part because of Batool and in spite of social services’ earlier concerns about the risk he posed.

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Ms Carberry noted how in June 2016 Sharif was ordered by a judge at Guildford family court to undertake a domestic violence perpetrator programme.

Sharif told jurors it was suggested he do the course if he wanted contact with his family.

Before gaining custody, Sharif had supervised visits with Sara at a centre in Woking, the court was told.

Sharif denied deflecting allegations he waved a knife at his ex-wife Olga by making it sound like a children’s “zombie game”.

He denied Sara would shout at him to “go away” during the visits, saying she was not even speaking at the time.

Sharif rejected further allegations that he swore, and kicked and hit Sara’s mother in the mouth, saying he had never been charged with an offence.

Sara was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, last 10 August after the defendants fled to Pakistan.

The 10-year-old suffered dozens of injuries including human bite marks and iron burns, jurors have heard.

The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, deny Sara’s murder and causing or allowing her death.

The trial continues.