Sara Sharif’s stepmum was ‘possessed’, court hears

A stepmother accused of sidesplitting 10-year-old Sara Sharif was “possessed” similar “someone has done achromatic magic connected her”, a tribunal has been told.

Sara’s assemblage was recovered with dozens of injuries astatine the family’s location successful Woking, Surrey, past year, the Old Bailey was told.

Her begetter Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, person denied murder.

Giving evidence, Mr Sharif told jurors that Ms Batool was abusive towards him and that her household told him that she had a “problem”.

“She’s very, precise brainsick erstwhile she goes into that mindset. She doesn’t stop,” helium told the court.

“Her household would travel and say, ‘do not permission her’. Her household said, ‘she is possessed [like] idiosyncratic has done achromatic magic connected her’,” helium told jurors.

He besides denied ever beating Sara, adding that determination was not a azygous incidental with him and the children erstwhile helium was astatine home.

"Everything happened astatine location portion I was astatine work,” helium told the court.

Jurors were told Mr Sharif's lawsuit was that Ms Batool was liable for Sara's death, and helium made a mendacious confession connected the telephone telephone and besides successful a enactment to support his wife.

Two videos filmed by Mr Sharif connected his mobile telephone were played to jurors connected Wednesday.

Mr Sharif said Ms Batool had accused him of flirting with a infirmary nurse, earlier she “abused” him astatine their location and “did not fto maine get retired of the house” successful February 2016.

“She was twisting my hands. Before that she kicked me,” helium told the court.

In the video played to jurors, Mr Sharif tin beryllium heard saying to his wife, “you’re pushing me” and that helium was going to usage the signaling arsenic “evidence against her”.

In the 2nd recording, filmed successful June 2019, Mr Sharif tin beryllium heard repeatedly telling Ms Batool to “let maine go” and “leave maine alone”.

Mr Sharif is past seen climbing retired of the room window.

He told the tribunal Ms Batool had “slapped” him, adding that “she locked the beforehand door” and “she gets truly angry”.

Naeem Mian KC, for Mr Sharif, antecedently told the tribunal that Ms Batool was “the existent villain”.

He told the jurors that Mr Sharif arrived location to find Sara “limp” connected 8 August 2023, earlier attempting CPR and begging for an ambulance to beryllium called.

“He was told successful Urdu oregon Punjabi, ‘leave it, she’s dead’,” by Ms Batool, Mr Mian KC added.

The tribunal antecedently heard that Sara was hooded, burned and beaten during much than 2 years of abuse.

A post-mortem introspection recovered Sara had suffered dozens of injuries including "probable quality wound marks", an robust pain and scalding from blistery h2o earlier she died connected 8 August 2023.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC antecedently said a bloodstained cricket bat, a rolling pin with Sara’s DNA connected it, a metallic pole, a loop and enactment were recovered adjacent the family’s outhouse.

The tribunal besides antecedently heard Mr Sharif, Ms Batool and Mr Malik travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with different household members connected 9 August 2023, the time earlier Sara's assemblage was found.

Prosecutors said Mr Sharif called constabulary from Pakistan and admitted helium killed Sara astir an hr aft his family’s formation had landed successful Islamabad.

The 3 defendants, who lived with Sara successful Woking earlier her death, are besides charged with causing oregon allowing the decease of a child, which they deny.