Father begged to save Sara Sharif but was told ‘leave it, she’s dead’, court hears

Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey, ITV News Reporter Ellie Pitt has the latest from outside court

Sara Sharif’s father tried to save his daughter and begged for an ambulance, only to be told “Leave it, she’s dead”, jurors have heard.

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

Sara was found dead in bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 2023 after Sharif called police from Pakistan to say he had beaten her “too much”.

Jurors have heard she suffered dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks, in what the prosecution alleges was a campaign of abuse.

On Tuesday, Sharif denied physically abusing and killing Sara as he began to give evidence in his defence.

His barrister, Naeem Mian KC, asked: “Are you responsible for the death of Sara Sharif?”

The defendant replied: “No.”

Sharif also denied that he bit, burned or beat up his daughter.

Jurors heard that Sharif initially decided to take the blame for Sara’s death and go to Pakistan after Batool claimed that someone else had injured her who is not on trial.

Mr Mian suggested that Sharif had wrongly been cast as the “villain of the piece” because he only disciplined her with a “slap”.

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?’, as any one of your number would.

“Having been told what had happened, he 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’.”

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