LONDON: A London court convicted Urfan Sharif and his wife Beinash Batool, for the murder of Urfan ’s ten-year-old daughter, Sara Sharif.
According to British media, the court heard that Urfan Sharif accepted responsibility for the injuries inflicted on Sara Sharif.
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The 42-year-old man from Jhelum, Pakistan admitted to hitting the young girl with a metal rod, a cricket bat and a mobile phone.
Sara Sharif’s body was discovered in her house in Woking, United Kingdom on August, 2022; two days after her father, uncle and stepmother fled to Pakistan.
Urfan Sharif had contacted the local police from Pakistan, providing information about his slain daughter.
Following the discovery of her body, British authorities coordinated with Pakistan law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspects.
During the four-day hearing, Ifran Shahid retracted his previous statements and confessed to severely abusing his own daughter. He blamed his wife for repeatedly beating the child for several weeks.
Sharif claimed that Sara’s death was a result of brutal violence inflicted by the 30-year-old stepmother. “It happened because of me”.
The court characterised the case as one of domestic violence within the family where child abuse was deemed ‘acceptable’.
The judge presiding over the horrific case noted that the innocent girl had likely endured a prolonged period of daily abuse.
The jury found Ifran Shahid, Beinash Batool and his brother, Faisal Malik, guilty of murder.
The judge lamented that Sara’s 29-year-old uncle could have stopped the abuse but failed to take responsibility.
The court also highlighted the fact that the three defendants fled to Pakistan shortly after mercilessly murdering a ten-year-old.
In the weeks leading up to her death, Sara was subjected to extreme physical abuse. She was reportedly tied up, beaten with a cricket bat, burned with an iron and even bitten.
During the call to the local police, Urfan Shahid apparently wept while exclaiming that “I have killed my daughter”.
The father could offer no explanation for the shocking abuse beyond his daughter being “naughty”.
Local law enforcement authorities found a handwritten note under the pillow of slain girl. In the letter, Urfan Sharif purportedly expressed regret, while also confessing to beating his child that led to her death.
“I am running await because I am scared”, the 42-year-old confessed. “I swear to God my intention was not to kill her but I lost it”.
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The three culprits were seen fleeing the country via Heathrow Airport to Islamabad just a day after Sara’s murder.
However, they soon returned to the United Kingdom, from where they were arrested.