Father called British police to confess to killing his 10-year-old daughter in England after fleeing to Pakistan

The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in England called British police after fleeing to Pakistan to admit he killed his daughter, prosecutors said Monday.

Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at London's Central Criminal Court over allegations that he, his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik murdered Sara Sharif, according to the Associated Press.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said all three defendants played a role in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara in the weeks before her death.

Police found Sara's body under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, southwest London, on August 10, 2023, with dozens of injuries, including numerous bruises, burns and broken bones. The child died of unnatural causes, according to an autopsy.

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This court artist's sketch by Elizabeth Cook shows Sara Sharif's father, Urfan Sharif, right, and her uncle Faisal Malik appearing via video link, from Belmarsh prison, at the Old Bailey in London, on December 14 2023, while three members of his family did so. pleaded not guilty to his murder. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via)

Jones said law enforcement learned of Sara's death after her father called British police from Pakistan and said: “I killed my daughter. I punished her legally and she is dead.”

He also told the telephone operator that he did not intend to kill her, but that he had “beat her too much”, the prosecutor said.

Urfan Sharif, Batool and Malik fled the UK for the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on August 9.

Pakistani police located the three suspects following a search and then flew them to the United Kingdom, where they were arrested upon landing at London Gatwick Airport. They were held in prison while awaiting trial.

View of HM Coroner's Court Surrey in Woking, following the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was found dead at a property on Hammond Road in Woking, Surrey, on August 10. (Getty Images)

Jones said all three suspects lived in the same house as Sara and it was “inconceivable” that only one of them was responsible for the girl's death.

The prosecutor said each of the suspects tried to blame the murder on others. Urfan Sharif had claimed that Batool, who is Sara's mother-in-law, was responsible for the girl's death and that he had made a false confession to protect her.

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Sharif family lawyer Attiq Malik outside Guildford Magistrates' Court, where Urfan Sharif, the father of Sara Sharif, is among three people who will face court on Friday, charged with the murder of the Sharif's child 10 years. (Getty Images)

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A recording of a phone call made on the evening of August 8, 2023, the day Sara was allegedly killed, was played for the jury. In the recording, Batool can be heard asking for the possibility of booking a flight to Islamabad for four adults and four children.

The three suspects deny murdering Sara or causing or allowing the girl's death.

The trial is expected to continue until December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.