The father of Sara Sharif was accused of abusing three girlfriends before his daughter’s death, a court has heard.
Urfan Sharif, 42, was allegedly reported to the police by three “separate, unconnected women” who each accused him of holding them against their will and controlling behaviour.
Sharif, 42, his wife, Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, are on trial accused of carrying out a violent “campaign of abuse” before Sara was found dead in a bunk bed at the family home in Surrey on 10 August 2023.
The defendants allegedly killed 10-year-old Sara on 8 August before fleeing to Pakistan, from where Sharif called police to say he had “beat her up too much”. He had left a handwritten “confession” near her fully clothed body saying: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
A postmortem found Sara had suffered fractures and 71 external injuries, including burns and human bite marks.
On Monday, Sharif was cross-examined by Batool’s barrister, Caroline Carberry KC, who questioned him about a video played to court in which Sara could be seen with “a very nasty black eye” 11 days before her death.
Sharif denied causing it, and said he could not remember the bruise, when he gave evidence last week. Carberry said: “It’s going to take a while to unpick the misleading impression you gave to the jury last week of you as a man, husband and father.
“I want to make it clear to you from the start that you are a lying, manipulative and controlling man.”
Sharif replied: “I’m not.”
Carberry went on question Sharif about allegations against him by three Polish women, including Sara’s biological mother, Olga. She asked: “You have been arrested in respect of allegations made by three separate, unconnected women?” Sharif replied: “Yes.”
She continued: “Do you accept that on each of those occasions you told the police those women concerned were lying?” Sharif replied: “Yes.”
The court heard that in 2007 a woman reported him to the police for “violent and controlling behaviour towards her” and he was arrested for assault and false imprisonment.
Carberry said: “She said that you had held her in a bedroom against her will, that you locked the door using her key, that you shouted at her: ‘Don’t go to your friends and I want to see you always at home’ and when you were doing that you were squeezing her face?” Sharif replied: “No, I wasn’t.”
She said he was also accused of stamping on her phone, taking her passport, punching her in the face and pointing a knife towards her.
Carberry asked: “Did you ever threaten to kill her?” Sharif replied: “Never.”
Carberry added: “That’s a bit of a theme, something you say to women you’re in a relationship with.”
Sharif denied all the allegations.
The court heard that 15 months later he had another Polish girlfriend who reported him to Surrey police in March 2009 for holding her against her will for five days, which Sharif denied. He also denied controlling behaviour and taking the woman’s passport.
The court heard he married Olga eight months later as his student visa was about expire. Within one year he was arrested for assaulting Olga, jurors were told.
Sharif said: “Those were allegations,” to which Carberry replied: “Were they false allegations? Another set of false allegations being made by women about your behaviour?”
The court heard that Olga told police Sharif had hit her, taken her phone away and locked her in a room, which Sharif said was “false”.
Carberry asked: “So it’s a coincidence that this is a third woman who is suggesting that you had kept her locked up?”
Sharif said the allegations were false.
Sharif said he had only ever been charged and convicted of stealing £1,700 from a McDonald’s branch where he worked as a shift manager. Sharif was also accused of being a gambler who was £17,000 in debt and an “angry” drinker.
Carberry said: “You routinely took your anger out on the women in your life: Olga, Beinash and also [others]?” Sharif replied: “No.”
Carberry added: “But it’s little Sara in the months before her death that suffered the most at your hands, isn’t it?” Sharif replied: “No ma’am.”
All three defendants have denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.
The trial continues.
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