Urfan Sharif told jurors he 'did not want to hurt' 10-year-old Sara Sharif(Image: Surrey Police/PA)

Sara Sharif's dad sobs in court while claiming he didn't mean to beat 10-year-old daughter to death

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, sobbed in the dock of the Old Bailey on Wednesday as he told jurors he takes 'full responsibility' for the death of his 10-year-old daughter Sara Sharif

by · The Mirror

Sara Sharif’s father sobbed in court as he told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the death of his 10-year-old daughter - but insisted he "didn't want to harm her."

The youngster was found dead at her home in Woking on August 10, last year after, having suffered dozens of injuries, including human bite marks, iron burns and fractures. Her dad, Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out abuse which led to her death.

Taxi driver Urfan made the admission under cross-examination as his wife Beinash Batool, 30, sobbed in the dock of the Old Bailey on Wednesday. Sharif had previously blamed Batool for the murder, but today told jurors: “I accept every single thing.”

Urfan Sharif sobbed in the dock of the Old Bailey on Wednesday( Image: PA)
Sara suffered dozens of injuries, including human bite marks( Image: PA)

Caroline Carberry KC said to Sharif in court today: “You have pleaded not guilty to the offence of murder. Would you like that charge to be put to you again?” Sharif replied: “Yeah.”

His barrister Naeem Mian KC then stood up and asked for time to speak to Sharif. Mr Justice Cavanagh sent the jury away adjourned the case until 12.30pm. After the lunchbreak, Sharif refused to accept he was guilty of Sara’s murder, saying he “did not intend to kill her”.

Ms Carberry asked: “When you confirmed earlier today you beat her to death and you intended to cause her really serious harm that was an admission to the offence of murder.” Sharif said: “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her.” The defence barrister responded: “But you did harm her. What did you intend when you took a cricket bat to a 10-year-old girl?”

Sharif said 'I accept everything' as he sat in the witness box( Image: Julia Quenzler / SWNS)

The defendant said: “I did wrong. I didn’t think anything.” Ms Carberry asked: “Do you accept that you killed her?” Sobbing, Sharif said: “She died because of me. I didn’t want to kill her.”

Caroline Carberry KC asked Sharif: “In the weeks before she died, she suffered multiple fractures to her body, didn’t she, and it was you who inflicted those injuries?” The defendant replied: “Yes.” Sharif accepted causing the injuries, bar burn and bite marks, and added: “I take responsibility. I take full responsibility.”

He admitted causing fractures to Sara by hitting her with a cricket bat or pole. Asked if he broke Sara’s hyoid neck bone, he repeated: “I can take full responsibility. I accept every single thing.” Ms Carberry went on: “I suggest on the night of the 6th August you badly beat Sara.” Speaking barely above a whisper in the witness box, Sharif replied: “I accept everything.”

Sharif left a note beside Sara's body before fleeing to Pakistan( Image: PA)
The dad admitted causing fractures to Sara by hitting her with a cricket bat or pole( Image: Surrey Police/AFP via Getty Imag)

Sharif's admissions came on the seventh day of his evidence to the jury. Mr Justice Cavanagh called for a short break before Ms Carberry continued to question the defendant. She said: “Do you accept that you killed her by beating her? Do you accept you had been beating Sara severely over a number of weeks?

“Do you accept using the cricket bat to beat her. Do you accept using the cricket bat as a weapon on her on a number of occasions? Do you accept that you used that cricket bat on her with force?” The defendant replied: “Yes ma’am.”

Mr Carberry went on: “Do you accept the post-mortem evidence that those fractures – at least 25 in number – were caused by you during assaults with a weapon?” She asked what Sara had done, in his mind, to deserve such treatment, saying: “Were you angry with her because in the summer of last year she had started soiling herself? And she had started vomiting, hadn’t she?

Sara was found dead at her home in Woking on August 10 last year( Image: Surrey Police/PA)

“And when you hit her severely and repeatedly with the cricket bat you intended to hurt her, didn’t you? And you knew that by hitting her in the way that you did you weren’t just going to cause a little bruise to her body. You hit her intending to cause her really serious harm.”

She added: “When you used the phone on her head did you use it banging it time and time again on her head?” The defendant replied: “Yes.” Asked if he had kicked his daughter, Sharif said: “No ma’am.”

Sharif, Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, deny Sara’s murder and causing or allowing her death.

The trial continues.