Father Of 10-Year-Old Girl Called Cops To Say He 'Legally Punished Her And She Died'

Warning: This article contains discussions about child abuse that some readers may find distressing.

The father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was tragically found dead in her home in the UK, called the police, admitting he 'legally' 'beat her up' for being 'naughty'.

Sara was discovered in Surrey on August 10, 2023, and her body showed signs of severe abuse, including burns, probable human bite marks, broken bones, and extensive bruising.

Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 42, along with her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 28, are currently on trial for her murder. Prosecutors have described Sara's suffering as a 'campaign of abuse'.

During the trial, it was revealed that Sharif made a distressed call to the police in the early hours of August 10, where he struggled to communicate clearly due to his emotional state.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC recounted: "[They] interrupted and said 'take a deep breath and tell me what's happened.'"

Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik are all on trial for the murder of Sara Sharif Surrey Police

"999 operators are used to hearing all kinds of dreadful things, but this one cannot have expected the answer he got to that question."

During the call, Sharif admitted: "I've killed my daughter."

He then allegedly added: "I legally punished her and she died."

When Sharif was asked to explain further, he said his daughter had been 'naughty'.

He continued by saying: "I beat her up, it wasn't my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much."

Sharif then requested police officers to visit his home because his daughter was 'alone'. 

Sara was found with a number of injuries Surrey Police

When the authorities arrived, they found Sara's body on the bottom bunk in an upstairs bedroom.

Next to Sara’s lifeless body, Sharif had allegedly left a note on the bed, which reportedly said:

"It's me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it. I am running away because I am scared."

The family had fled to Pakistan on August 9, arriving on August 10, the same day Sara’s body was discovered.

In court, Emlyn Jones explained that Sara’s suffering wasn’t limited to one incident, suggesting she had endured 'weeks and weeks' of abuse.

"So no, Sara had not just been beaten up. Her treatment, certainly in the last few weeks of her life, had been appalling; it had been brutal," he explained.

Sharif has since claimed that it was primarily his wife, Batool, who took care of Sara, and he confessed to protect her.

However, Batool stated that Sharif was a 'violent disciplinarian' who regularly abused Sara, and she was too afraid to stop him.

Malik, the third person on trial, insisted that he was unaware of any abuse happening to Sara.

The trial continues.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.