Sara Sharif’s father told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the 10-year-old’s murder. after brutally beating her, while he is on trial for her murder.

In a dramatic confession to Old Bailey On Wednesday, Urfan Sharif, 42, told jurors “I accept everything,” while his wife and co-defendant, Beinash Batool, sobbed in the dock.

The taxi driver admitted hitting the schoolgirl with a cricket bat while she was tied up with packing tape, as well as repeatedly strangling her with his bare hand – and hitting her with a metal pole as she lay dying.

Despite this, he continues to deny her murder, telling the court: “She died because of me.” I didn’t want to kill her.

In the early hours of August 10 last year, Sharif called Surrey Police. after fleeing to Pakistan to say he “beat” his daughter too much because she was “mean” and she died.

Earlier, Sharif had sought to accuse Batool of killing Sara.who was found dead in a bunk bed at the family home in Wake upSurrey, with a catalog of serious injuries including human bite marks and iron burns, the court heard.

Sharif, Batool and Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29, all formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, Surrey, deny murder and causing or permitting the death of the 10-year-old and the trial continues.

Key Points

Sharif admits to tying up daughter with duct tape before beating her

07:46 , Holly Evans

Urfan Sharif sometimes tied up his daughter with duct tape before beating her with a pole or cricket bat in the weeks before her death in August 2023, the Old Bailey has heard.

He was told that he had tied Sara up with duct tape, and he replied “yes, ma’am.”

When asked if he had used the brown packing tape that was ordered from the family’s Amazon account last July, he replied “yes, ma’am.”

Caroline Carberry KC, for Beinash Batool, asked Sharif if he forced Sara to do squats while her ankles and wrists were bound with tape, to which he replied “no ma’am.” No ma’am, that’s not true.”

Sharif later added: “I beat her with a pole, but no sit-ups or squats.”

He denied tying Sara up to prevent her from running away or trying to defend herself.

Sara Sharif’s father admits to killing schoolgirl – but continues to deny murder

07:00 , Tara Cobham

Sara Sharif’s father has confessed to killing the 10-year-old girl, but insisted he did not mean to “hurt” her and continues to deny his murder.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, had sought to blame a series of injuries on Sara’s mother-in-law, Beinash Batool, 30, claiming he was at work when his daughter was abused.

On the seventh day of his evidence at the Old Bailey, he told jurors he took “full responsibility” for what happened but did not intend to hurt his daughter.

He then admitted hitting Sara with a cricket bat while she was tied up with packing tape.

He strangled her repeatedly with his bare hands, breaking the hyoid bone in her neck, and hit her in the head with a cellphone, he said.

He denied burning her bottom with an iron, biting her arm or putting a belt around her neck, the Old Bailey heard.