- Sharif makes admission during interrogation at the Old Bailey.
- The father admits to beating Sarah “severely” over a period of several weeks.
- He agrees to plead guilty to the murder of a 10-year-old.
The father of Sarah Sharif, the 10-year-old girl who was found dead in her home in Britain, has accepted “full responsibility” for her death, admitting to beating her with a cricket bat and a metal pole.
Sarah was found dead in August 2023 at her home in Woking, a town southwest of London, after what prosecutors described as a campaign of “serious and repeated violence.”
Her father, Irfan Sharif, 42, his wife and Sarah Sharif’s stepmother, Binash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, are on trial at the Old Bailey in London, where they all deny murder and an alternative charge of causing or allowing her death. .
Sharif said that he initially took responsibility for saving his family, but later testified in court and blamed his wife for killing his daughter.
But he said on Wednesday: “I admit what I said in the 999 call and my handwritten confession. Every word.”
During his questioning by his wife Batoul’s lawyer, Caroline Carberry QC, he was asked: “Did you kill your daughter by beating her?” He said: Yes, she died because of me.
He admitted that he hit Sarah “severely” over a period of several weeks because he was angry that the schoolgirl had begun to vomit and vomit.
Carberry further asked: “You have pleaded not guilty to murder. Do you wish to be charged again?” He answered in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, Sharif’s lawyer, Naeem Mian KC, took the stand and asked for time to speak with the defendant. He told the court: “We would like to submit a request to see Sharif before any indictment is brought against him.”
At that point, Batoul left the dock crying and the trial was suspended for a short period.
When Sharif returned to the witness stand, he took full responsibility for Sarah’s death and her beating death.
Carberry asked: “What did you do to deserve such a beating in your mind?” Sharif replied: Nothing. She continued: Why were you hitting her so hard? He replied: “I made a mistake.”
A post-mortem examination showed that the 10-year-old girl had fractures and 71 external injuries, including burns and human bite marks.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones QC previously said a bloodstained cricket bat, a pin with Sarah’s DNA on it, a metal pole, a belt and a rope were found near the family’s outhouse.