Stepmother and uncle of beaten-to-death Sara Sharif refuse to testify in murder trial

The stepmother and uncle of beaten-to-death Sara Sharif person declined to springiness grounds to their Old Baily execution trial.

Jurors were told they whitethorn “draw their ain conclusions” aft Beinash Batool, 30, and Faisal Malik, 29, some opted not to instrumentality to the witnesser basal to look questions from defence and prosecution barristers.

The determination came aft Sara’s begetter Urfan Sharif, 42, spent respective days successful the witnesser container blaming Batool for Sara’s decease earlier telling jurors helium had “no credibility” near and accepted “full responsibility, adding helium was the "worst genitor connected the planet".

Sharif described his parenting arsenic “very bad” and accepted helium was unkind and cruel nether cross-examination astatine the Old Bailey.

The tribunal antecedently heard that Sara was hooded, burned and beaten during much than 2 years of maltreatment earlier she was recovered dormant astatine her household location successful Woking, Surrey, past year.

Police raced to the spot and recovered the 10-year-old’s battered assemblage successful her bunkbed aft the 3 defendants fled to Pakistan earlier Sharif made a 999 telephone to archer officers his girl was dead. She had suffered astatine slightest 25 fractures and 71 outer injuries.

The trio were arrested aft spending weeks arsenic fugitives earlier flying backmost to London’s Gatwick Airport.

Sharif, Batool and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, each contradict execution and causing oregon allowing the decease of a child.

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.

Sharif agreed that unit to Sara had go "normalised" astatine times successful the house, but helium said his member Malik - who lived with the household - was unaware of Sara being beaten astatine home.

The prosecution challenged Mr Sharif astir however others successful the tiny three-bedroom location were unaware of unit to Sara but cab operator Sharif insisted: “Everything was abstracted from Faisal.”

He was besides quizzed astir a pain to Sara’s buttocks and wound marks, which helium denies causing.

Bill Emelyn Jones KC prosecuting said: “To bash that to Sara, to property and clasp the robust crossed some her buttocks, 2 radical had to bash that?

Sharif replied: “I don’t cognize however it happened.”

Earlier successful his grounds Sharif had attempted to blasted Batool, claiming the maltreatment had occurred whilst helium was retired astatine work.

But helium past dramatically told the assemblage that helium took “full responsibility” for his daughter’s decease but denied execution claiming helium “did not mean to harm her” erstwhile helium bound and bushed her with a cricket bat.

He sobbed: “She died due to the fact that of me”.

The proceedings continues.