'Inhuman' violence dished out to Sara Sharif by three adults in her life, court told

The “inhuman” violence meted out to Sara Sharif was “completely normalised” in the family with all three adults “in on it”, jurors have heard.

- HOLLY EVANS

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of being party to years-long abuse, which culminated in her death last August.

The 10-year-old was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, the day after the defendants fled to Pakistan, the Old Bailey has heard. She had suffered dozens of injuries, including multiple broken bones, bites, iron and boiling water burns, and signs she was hooded and tied up with tape, the Old Bailey has heard.

Giving evidence, Sharif had initially blamed Batool for Sara’s death, but on the seventh day in the witness box told jurors he took “full responsibility”. Over the course of six days of evidence at the Old Bailey, Mr Sharif maintained he had not injured his daughter, was regularly at work, and that he had caught Ms Batool tying up and beating his daughter.

Yesterday, Michael Ivers KC, for Mr Malik, began by asking: “For a whole week you tried to blame someone else for what you did?”.

“Yes sir,” Mr Sharif replied.

“It’s not just you lied, you lied and then tried to implicate someone else,” Mr Ivers KC continued.

“Yes sir,” Mr Sharif said.