Sara Sharif begged for water and said she felt sleepy as she lay dying in her father's arms, he tells murder trial

Sara Sharif begged for water as she lay dying in her father's arms before passing away, a court heard.

Urfan Sharif, 42, claims he returned home to find the 10-year-old 'limp' in stepmother Beinash Batool's arms.

The taxi driver alleges Batool told him she fell down the stairs and is 'being dramatic' before he swept her into his arms and 'tapped her face' saying 'wake up'.

The schoolgirl 'opened her eyes, she said she's thirsty, she needs water and she's feeling sleepy' before passing out, Sharif claims.

He said he then checked her pulse and felt 'nothing' so desperately administer CPR as Batool, 30, shouted 'wake her up, she cannot die!'

But his wife stopped him after 10 minutes, allegedly saying 'there's no point she's dead' – so Sharif washed her body and wrapped her in a cloth on her bed.

Sharif alleged that his wife blamed another child for the death, telling him they had chased Sara down the stairs and she fell.

When he discovered red marks on Sara's neck and chest as he bathed her, the housewife then apparently changed her story.

Sharif claims Batool said the other child punched Sara to the ground then stamped on her.

He said he did not call the police as his wife said the other child would 'go to jail' and so he decided to take the blame to save his family.

Batool, Sharif and his brother 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.

Sharif was working on the day she was killed and today told his defence barrister Naeem Mian KC of the moment he came back.

He said on entering he asked where Sara was as he couldn't find her and a child at the house pointed to a bedroom upstairs.

'I went in the room and I saw Sara on Beinash's lap next to the cot in the corner,' Sharif said.

'I asked Beinash what happened. She said that Sara and [another child] were running after each other, Sara went downstairs, [another child] went after her she fell on the stairs she's being dramatic and she's not getting up.'

Sharif said he lifted Sara's left arm but it was 'limp' and dropped straight down when he dropped it.

'I knelt down, I tapped her face, I asked Sara to get up but she didn't get up,' he said.

'I took Sara from Beinash's lap, I sat there I tapper her. She whispered. She opened her eyes, she said she's thirsty she needs water.'

Batool started crying and grabbed tissues as Sharif told how Sara then became unresponsive.

'I shouted for water I don't know if she gave me the water or if [another child] gave me the water,' Sarif said. 'She came back, gave her the water, she didn't drink.

'She said she's sleepy, but she didn't wake up.'

Sharif claims he then laid her out on the floor, called for someone to call an ambulance 'because I couldn't hear her breathing'.

'I checked her pulse and there was none,' he said. 'I was numb like I am now. I was shock. I was giving CPR.'

Sharif claims he fought for ten minutes to save her life as Batool shouted: 'Wake her up, wake her up, she cannot die.'

But then Batool allegedly stopped him. 'She hugged me. Beinash hugged me and said [in Urdu]: 'Leave her, Sara's dead'.

Sharif claims he asked where the ambulance was and Batool blamed one of the children for not calling it.

'I asked her where the ambulance is. She said: 'There's no point. [In Urdu] Theres no need because she's dead.'

Sharif claims he then closed Sara's eyes with his hands. Batool then allegedly snatched his phone out of his hands and told him: 'Sara is dead you need to think about the other kids.'

Sharif said: 'I was with Sara. Her lifeless body was in my arms. I was there. I picked her up after closing her eyes. I just hugged her and was kissing her.

'I couldn't believe that she's dead. I could not believe that she was gone. I wasn't accepting... I'm still not accepting that my daughter is gone.'

Describing his emotions, Sharif said: 'I couldn't say anything at that moment, I wasn't there. My daughter was in my hands, my world crushed. The whole world's fallen on me.'

Malik then came upstairs and also checked Sara's pulse before bursting into tears. Sharif claims he offered to call the police and tell them 'it was me' to 'protect Beinash and the kids' – telling Batool to take the children to her family in Luton so it appeared he was home alone with Sara when she died.

Batool then called her sister, Qandeela, but her sibling was 'scared' and did not want to help, he claims.

Sharif said he then decided to wash Sara as is Muslim tradition but as he tried to remove her top he noticed a huge red mark around his daughter's neck and chest.

Batool allegedly stopped him removing the clothes and said: 'Are you stupid? Just leave her.'

Sharif washed her in her clothes before returning her to her bed and wrapping her in a cloth before quizzing Batool on why her neck was red if she fell down the stairs.

His wife then allegedly changed her story and said the other child was cleaning the kitchen with Sara when they punched her, she fell down and then the child 'kicked her and stamped on her stomach'.

Batool told him not to call the authorities, saying: 'Don't be insane, don't be stupid, think about other kids.'

Sharif claims Batool then hatched the plan to go to Pakistan and persuaded him to take the blame, telling him that if he is convicted of manslaughter he would walk free in five years.

He claimed she begged him to help her go to Pakistan to 'make arrangements' for her before returning to the UK to face justice. Sharif says this is why he wrote a note confessing to the killing and promising to return.

He also alleged Batool would not even let him take a picture of Sara with him to Pakistan.

Sharif claimed his wife cried like he had never seen as she apologised to Sara before they fled to Pakistan.

'That was the first time I saw Beinash crying like that,' he said. 'First time I seen her in eight years.

'She apologised to her [Sara]. She said sorry to her multiple times. She kissed her, she hugged her. She cried.'

Sharif told how he left the keys to the house under the front door mat and left a space on the driveway for the ambulance. He placed a confession note under Sara's pillow.

Sharif said it was his idea to call the police and confess on arrival in Islamabad.

The trial continues.