The daddy of Sara Sharif wept as he informed how his limp daughter briefly opened her eyes and requested for water earlier than dying in his arms, a court docket has heard.
Urfan Sharif mentioned his spouse, Beinash Batool, didn’t name an ambulance in Sara’s closing moments, however had mentioned the 10-year-old was being “dramatic and pretending”.
The taxi driver mentioned he tried to resuscitate Sara as Batool mentioned in Urdu: “Wake her up, wake her up, she cannot die.”
Sharif, 42, Batool, 30, and Sara’s paternal uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are on trial on the Outdated Bailey accused of finishing up a violent “campaign of abuse” earlier than the schoolgirl was discovered lifeless in a bunk mattress on the household house in Surrey on 10 August 2023.
The defendants allegedly killed Sara on 8 August earlier than fleeing to Pakistan, from the place Sharif referred to as police to say he had “beat her up too much”. He had left a handwritten “confession” close to her totally clothed physique saying: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
Giving proof for the fourth day, Sharif mentioned it was “cowardly, selfish and inhumane,” to desert Sara like an “orphan” however that Batool had satisfied him to flee to Pakistan.
He mentioned she dictated a number of the phrases he wrote within the “confession” after he agreed to take the blame for Sara’s demise to guard his household. He informed jurors: “I would do anything for my family.”
Sharif informed jurors that Batool referred to as him simply after 7pm on 8 August to inform him to come back house and he arrived in Woking about 45 minutes later.
He mentioned he discovered Sara on Batool’s lap within the couple’s bed room. He informed jurors: “She [Batool] said Sara was running downstairs, [another child] was running after her, and she fell down, and she’s dramatic, she’s pretending, and she’s not getting up.”
He added: “I lifted her [Sara’s] arm and I asked Sara to get up but she wouldn’t get up. Her arm was limp. When I dropped it, it just went down.
“I tapped her face, but she didn’t get up so I took Sara from Beinash’s lap and tapped her again. She whispered, she opened her eyes a little bit, said she is thirsty, needs water, and she’s feeling sleepy.
“I shouted for water. But she [Sara] didn’t drink. She did not wake up, she was sleeping.”
He mentioned he shouted for an ambulance as a result of Sara was not respiratory and had no pulse, including: “I started giving her CPR. I was numb, like I am now. I was shocked.”
Sharif mentioned Batool stood by and shouted at him in Urdu: “Wake her up, wake her up, she cannot die.”
After about 10 minutes, he stopped and Batool hugged him and mentioned, “Leave her, Sara is dead,” the court docket heard.
Sharif mentioned he requested Batool the place the ambulance was, however she informed him: “There’s no point. There is no need because she’s dead.”
He informed jurors he didn’t name emergency companies himself as a result of Batool “snatched” the telephone from him and informed him he ought to defend the household.
He broke down in tears as he added: “Her lifeless body was in my arms. I picked her up after closing her eyes. I just hugged her, I was kissing her. I couldn’t believe she was dead.”
He added: “I was numb, my daughter was in my hands, my world was crushed, the whole world has fallen on me.”
The defendant claimed the preliminary plan was for Batool to go to her kinfolk in Luton so he may name the police and say Sara died in his care to guard his household.
Batool made 30 calls to members of her household however they didn’t assist as a result of they had been “scared”, he mentioned.
Sharif mentioned Batool then informed him a second story about Sara’s accidents after he noticed a purple mark on her neck. She informed him one other baby had punched and kicked Sara and stamped on her abdomen, the court docket heard.
Sharif mentioned Batool informed him to take accountability, saying he would go to jail for 3 to 5 years. Sharif mentioned he wrote a letter confessing to killing his daughter so he may “take the blame”.
Sharif mentioned he turned on the fan in Sara’s bed room earlier than leaving for Heathrow airport on 9 August, telling jurors: “I was still not ready to accept my daughter was dead. She was the first girl born in my family in 30 years.”
The defendants remained in Pakistan for 35 days however Sharif mentioned he at all times meant to return to the UK, including: “To protect my family, I’ll take any punishment.”
However he mentioned he modified his thoughts as soon as he was arrested and police questioned him in regards to the extent of Sara’s accidents.
Sharif informed jurors: “They were talking about fractures, they were talking about burns, they were talking about bruises, they were talking about head injuries, there was a lot of them.
“I couldn’t believe it, I was just conflicted, I was crying … why on earth didn’t I know about that, so much was going on under my nose and I didn’t know it.”
The trial continues.
