Father and stepmother of Sara Sharif sentenced to life for her murder

The father and stepmother of a 10-year-old girl whose body was discovered in her bed after the family had fled to Pakistan have today been jailed for her murder.

A jury found Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool guilty of murdering Sara Sharif following a ten-week trial where they heard Sara was subjected to a “campaign of abuse”. Today at the Central Criminal Court, both Sharif and Batool were sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve minimum terms of 40 years and 33 years in prison, respectively.

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, who was living in the house at the time, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child. He was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.

The prosecution’s case was that Sara was murdered. The jury found that she was killed by her father and stepmother and her uncle was complicit in causing or allowing her death.

The jury at the Old Bailey heard that Sara was a victim of assaults and abuse for weeks with injuries including fractures, burns, bruising and a traumatic head injury. Such was the severity of her injuries leading up to her death, the postmortem concluded that Sara died from complications from multiple injuries and neglect and could not give a definitive cause of death.

After Sara died at the family home in Woking, Surrey on 8 August 2023, Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool called a travel agency to enquire about flights to Pakistan. Her father Urfan Sharif eventually booked the one-way flights for the next day, and when asked why they were so urgent, he claimed his cousin had died.

Urfan Sharif called police from Pakistan on 10 August, saying he had “legally punished” Sara and she had died, before claiming he had beaten her, but not intended to kill her.

Police found Sara’s body in the family home with a note written by Urfan Sharif, saying he had killed her and had “lost it”. The trio returned to the UK on 13 September 2023 and they were arrested on arrival in the UK from Pakistan.

Libby Clark from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Sara Sharif was a lively and joyful 10-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short by the very people who should have protected and cared for her.

“The evidence in this case painted a devastating picture of the suffering Sara experienced leading up to her death and the campaign of abuse she was being subjected to in her own family home. Her injuries revealed the extent of the cruelty inflicted upon her, while the defendants’ actions after her death demonstrated a shocking disregard for her life as they attempted to flee the country to evade justice, thinking only of themselves.

“Whilst her father and stepmother were responsible for subjecting Sara to horrific abuse, her uncle took no action to stop or report it.

“This has been an incredibly complex and distressing case, and it is thanks to the tireless work of the prosecution team, Surrey Police, international partners, and the CPS International Unit that we were able to secure justice for Sara. I also want to thank the jury for their careful consideration of the harrowing evidence presented in court.

“Today’s sentences reflect the cruelty and gravity of their crimes – and while no sentence can bring Sara back, we hope this outcome is able to provide some small comfort to all those that knew and loved her.”