Father Sara Sharif was drawn to her stepmother because she was a vulnerable young victim of “honour abuse”, a court heard.

Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial for Sara’s murder, along with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29.

On Tuesday, Batool’s lawyer rejected Sharif’s claim that she was violent towards Sara, saying he was the one controlling, abusing and manipulating.

Caroline Carberry KC suggested that when Sharif first met Batool, she was only 20 and “vulnerable” – just as he liked his partners to be.

Sharif, who is 12 years older than Batool, denied getting her phone number from a trader at Woking station, insisting they met in his taxi.

Ms Carberry said she knew Batool was a “victim of honour-based abuse” and had been placed in a shelter as a teenager.

“You knew the older people in her family thought she had disgraced them by running away from home. Do you agree that she was an isolated and lonely young woman?

“When you met her, it was very obvious that this was a young woman who was isolated from her family and struggling in the world at that time, a vulnerable young woman.

“A vulnerable young woman, just the way you like your partners to be,” Ms Carberry said.

Sharif replied: “No, she is not vulnerable.”

Jurors were shown a cellphone video that Sharif had previously claimed was evidence that Batool stopped him from leaving their home.

Ms Carberry said: “You have twisted this event to try to make it seem like this was an abusive episode when in fact it shows that you are the abusive and manipulative one.

“The fact that you would pull out your phone and record this episode clearly shows how controlling you were.”

Sharif replied: “It’s not fair, he shut me down over and over and over.”

Mrs Carberry showed a message from Batool to her sister about Sharif tearing up family photographs.

Batool said to him, “I am so stupid. I don’t want to live in an abusive relationship…seriously, I’m done with it.”

Ms Carberry said the messages showed Sharif was “a bit disoriented” and “paranoid”.

She said: “Her assessment that she was in an abusive relationship with you is true.”

Sharif replied, “That is not right.”

Jurors heard how Sharif successfully fought for custody of Sara in 2019, largely because of Batool and despite earlier concerns from social services about the risk she posed.

Ms Carberry said: “In June 2016 you were ordered by a judge at Guildford Family Court to run a program for domestic violence offenders and the course is for those who are considered to be violent in the family context.

“Do you agree with the court’s finding that you were a perpetrator of domestic violence?”

Sharif told jurors he was suggested to take the course if he wanted to get in touch with his family.

As with a previous “puzzle for parents” course, he didn’t do “so great”, attending only 10 of 16 sessions, Ms Carberry said.

The defendant dismissed a course assessment that he could be “very manipulative” as well as concerns that he was unable to listen, “explore past behaviours” and “show empathy”.

Ms Carberry said: “You agree that you appeared to have no insight into your behavior and treated the domestic violence offender program as a ticking exercise.”

Sharif replied, “No ma’am.”

Before gaining custody, Sharif supervised visits with Sara at a center in Woking, the court was told.

Sharif denied dismissing allegations that he waved the knife at his ex-wife Olga, making it sound like a “zombie game” for children.

He denied Sara would yell at him to “go away” during the visits, saying she wasn’t even talking at the time.

Sharif denied other allegations that he swore at and kicked and punched Sarah’s mother in the mouth, saying he had never been charged with a crime.

Sara was found dead at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 after the defendants fled to Pakistan.

The 10-year-old suffered dozens of injuries, including human bite marks and iron burns, jurors heard.

The defendants, formerly of Hammond Road, Woking, deny murdering Sarah and causing or allowing her death.

The Old Bailey trial continues.