Sara Sharif’s dad tells jury his ‘psycho’ wife bit schoolgirl ‘like an animal’ (Picture: PA)
Sara Sharif’s ‘evil and psycho’ stepmother was caught red-handed after tying up the ‘terrified’ 10-year-old with packaging tape at home, a court has heard.
Beinash Batool, 30, Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of her murder after a campaign of abuse.
Jurors have heard Sara suffered dozens of injuries, including burns from an iron, human bite marks and signs of restraint, before she died at her home in Woking, Surrey, last August.
Giving evidence on Thursday, Sharif wept as he cast the blame at his wife sitting in the dock, saying: ‘I never knew I was living with evil and psycho.’
Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead at her family home in Woking with 71 external injuries on her body (Picture: PA)
On one occasion, he said he came home and found Sara with her arms bound behind her back with packaging tape in the television room.
Batool was present and appeared ‘shocked’ to see him, Sharif said: ‘I screamed. I was angry, I was annoyed.
‘She, Sara, was terrified. She was scared. She didn’t say much. I hugged her, I kissed her, then me and Beinash went into the kitchen.
‘She apologised to me and she promised that she wouldn’t do it again. And even after those days I was that stupid that I believed her.’
He said he cut his daughter free using a knife from the kitchen.
Defence barrister Naeem Mian KC asked why he did not report it, saying: ‘Your daughter, the girl you have fought for custody of, at home has her arms tied behind her back with packaging tape?’
The defendant said he had been ‘an idiot’ and should have called police.
Sara Sharif’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, is accused of beating and torturing the dead schoolgirl (Picture: Surrey Police/PA Wire)
Mr Mian said: ‘According to you, you just caught her red-handed. This is your daughter.’
Sharif said: ‘She (Batool) apologised. I’ve been wrong for a long, long time.’
Jurors were told that Batool stayed at home with Sara while Sharif worked long hours as a taxi driver and cooked and cleaned for the family at weekends.
Sharif denied Batool’s repeated claims to her sister that he was ‘beating the crap’ out of his daughter.
He admitted he slapped Sara ‘multiple times’ but only because Batool told him she was ‘playing up’.
Referring to one alleged incident Batool relayed to her sister, Mr Mian said: ‘You’ve had a long day, you’ve been told by Batool Sara, in particular, has been playing up.
‘Wouldn’t you just say “I’ll sort it out”, go to her bedroom, wake her up and kick the crap out of her?’
Sara’s father was accused of making her wear a hijab to hide her bruises (Picture: PA)
Sharif replied: ‘No sir. She always accused her of everything that did happen.
‘I slapped her only because I was made to. My daughter Sara was doing everything to make her life hell.’
He went on: ‘Beinash all the time she …read more
Source:: Metro
