‘Psycho’ stepmother tied ‘terrified’ Sara Sharif up with tape, court told

Sara Sharif’s “evil and psycho” stepmother was caught red-handed aft tying up the “terrified” 10-year-old with packaging portion astatine home, a tribunal has heard.

Beinash Batool, 30, Sara’s begetter Urfan Sharif, 42, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are connected proceedings astatine the Old Bailey accused of her execution aft a run of abuse.

Jurors person heard Sara suffered dozens of injuries, including burns from an iron, quality wound marks and signs of restraint, earlier she died astatine her location successful Woking, Surrey, past August.

Giving grounds connected Thursday, Sharif wept arsenic helium formed the blasted astatine his woman sitting successful the dock, saying: “I ne'er knew I was surviving with evil and psycho.”

On 1 occasion, helium said helium came location and recovered Sara with her arms bound down her backmost with packaging portion successful the tv room.

Batool was contiguous and appeared “shocked” to spot him, Sharif said: “I screamed. I was angry, I was annoyed.

“She, Sara, was terrified. She was scared. She didn’t accidental much. I hugged her, I kissed her, past maine and Beinash went into the kitchen.

“She apologised to maine and she promised that she wouldn’t bash it again. And adjacent aft those days I was that anserine that I believed her.”

He said helium chopped his girl escaped utilizing a weapon from the kitchen.

Defence barrister Naeem Mian KC asked wherefore helium did not study it, saying: “Your daughter, the miss you person fought for custody of, at location has her arms tied down her backmost with packaging tape?”

The suspect said helium had been “an idiot” and should person called police.

Mr Mian said: “According to you, you conscionable caught her red-handed. This is your daughter.”

Sharif said: “She (Batool) apologised. I’ve been incorrect for a long, agelong time.”

Jurors were told that Batool stayed astatine location with Sara portion Sharif worked agelong hours arsenic a taxi operator and cooked and cleaned for the household astatine weekends.

Sharif denied Batool’s repeated claims to her sister that helium was “beating the crap” retired of his daughter.

He admitted helium slapped Sara “multiple times” but lone due to the fact that Batool told him she was “playing up”.

Referring to 1 alleged incidental Batool relayed to her sister, Mr Mian said: “You’ve had a agelong day, you’ve been told by Batool Sara, successful particular, has been playing up.

“Wouldn’t you conscionable accidental ‘I’ll benignant it out’, spell to her bedroom, aftermath her up and footwear the crap retired of her?”

Sharif replied: “No sir. She ever accused her of everything that did happen.

“I slapped her lone due to the fact that I was made to. My girl Sara was doing everything to marque her beingness hell.”

He went on: “Beinash each the clip she accused Sara. She was blaming my daughter.

“I should not person believed her. I ne'er knew I was surviving with evil and psycho.”

Mr Mian said: “According to her, you’re the psycho, you’re the 1 who took a cricket bat to Sara.”

Sharif denied this, saying helium had ne'er beaten her with a achromatic pole, spot her oregon enactment a homemade hood implicit her head.

He told jurors: “The idiosyncratic who spot my girl connected the limb similar an animal? I didn’t bash it, Faisal didn’t bash it … Who other was astatine home?”

Mr Mian reminded jurors of grounds that lone Batool had refused to springiness her dental impressions to comparison with the marks connected Sara’s body.

At the extremity of past July, Sharif said helium recovered retired from Batool that Sara was wearing a nappy due to the fact that she “could not power her bladder”.

When helium challenged his woman astir it, she told him that it was “normal” for increasing girls arsenic their bodies changed, the tribunal heard.

Sharif told jurors: “Sara bedewed herself a fewer times. Beinash told maine we request to enactment her successful a nappy, she’s increasing up, she’s going done that clip of the month.”

Mr Mian said: “Are you conscionable making this up due to the fact that you, the psycho, burnt Sara? You burnt her truthful severely that she wasn’t capable to beryllium down. With an iron.

“Did you burn, did you marque Sara connected her bottom?”

Sharif replied: “No sir.”

He denied seeing bruises connected her body, lone a “scratch connected the nose”, arsenic Sara wore a hijab, agelong sleeves and leggings, adjacent erstwhile she was astatine home.

He told jurors helium ne'er saw her successful symptom oregon incapable to move, with the lone different wounded being blisters connected her feet, which were treated with antiseptic cream.

On the time of her death, Sara did the laundry but she ne'er did ironing due to the fact that she was “too young” and it was “dangerous”, helium said.

That evening, Sharif was moving erstwhile helium received a telephone from Batool telling him to “come home”, the tribunal heard.

He responded that helium was “driving not flying” and would beryllium backmost successful 15 to 20 minutes.

Sharif denied helium was “burning up with choler to get home” and benignant retired the occupation with Sara, adjacent stopping disconnected astatine a Co-op to bargain cigarettes oregon vapes connected the way.

Jurors heard that astatine 8.38pm, a kid successful the location sent an “urgent” substance to a person to accidental Sara had “just passed away”.

The adjacent day, the defendants took a formation to Pakistan and were arrested connected September 13 upon their instrumentality to the UK.

The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, person denied execution and causing oregon allowing the decease of a kid betwixt December 16 2022 and August 9 2023.