UK Father Confesses to Daughter’s Murder After Fleeing to Pakistan
Prosecutors stated that Urfan Sharif, the father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in England, called UK police after fleeing to Pakistan to confess to his daughter’s murder.
Sharif, 42, along with his partner Beinash Batool and brother Faisal Malik, are currently on trial at London’s Central Criminal Court, facing charges of murder.
William Emlyn Jones, the prosecutor, alleged that the three defendants engaged in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara in the weeks leading up to her death.
Police discovered Sara’s body beneath a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, southwest of London, on August 10, 2023. Her body exhibited numerous injuries, including extensive bruising, burns, and fractures. A post-mortem examination determined that her death was unnatural.
Jones revealed that law enforcement learned of Sara’s death after her father contacted UK police from Pakistan, stating, “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died.”
He further confessed to the phone operator that he did not intend to kill her but had “beat her up too much.”
Urfan Sharif, Batool, and Malik fled the UK for Pakistan on August 9.
Following a search, Pakistani police located the three suspects and subsequently escorted them back to the UK, where they were apprehended upon their arrival at London’s Gatwick Airport. They were subsequently remanded in custody pending trial.
Jones asserted that the three suspects resided in the same household as Sara and deemed it “inconceivable” that only one of them was responsible for her death.
The prosecutor claimed that each suspect attempted to shift blame onto the others. Urfan Sharif alleged that Batool, Sara’s stepmother, was responsible for the girl’s death and that his confession was a fabricated attempt to shield her.
A recording of a phone call made on the evening of August 8, 2023, the day Sara is believed to have been killed, was presented to the jury. The recording captured Batool inquiring about booking a flight to Islamabad for four adults and four children.
The three suspects are facing charges of murder or causing or allowing the girl’s death.
The trial is expected to continue until December.