Sara Sharif’s mother has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her ‘princess’ after the 10-year-old’s father and stepmother were found guilty of her murder.
Urfan Sharif beat his little girl to death during a period of unspeakable brutality after spending 16 years torturing women and children.
He met Sara’s mother, Polish Olga Domin, online in 2009 and they got married less than a year later, but separated after the mother accused him of abuse.
In an emotional tribute to her child, Sara’s devastated mother said today: ‘My dear Sara, I ask God to please take care of my little girl, she was taken too soon.
‘Sara had beautiful brown eyes and an angelic voice. Sara’s smile could brighten up the darkest room.
‘Everyone who knew Sara will know her unique character, her beautiful smile and loud laugh. She will always be in our hearts, her laughter will bring warmth to our lives. We miss Sara very much. Love you princess.’
Following a custody battle between Ms Domin and Sharif in 2019, Sara had to live with her Pakistani father and young stepmother, Beinash Batool.
The schoolgirl suffered years of unimaginable abuse at the hands of the pair, who bound her arms and legs, hooded her in a plastic bag around her head and battered her with a cricket bat, metal pole and rolling pin, strangled her until her neck broke, burnt her with an iron and bit her.
Sara Sharif pictured with her mother Olga Domin. The girl died in August last year
Sara Sharif’s evil father faces life in prison today for the murder Sara (pictured)
She was found dead in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year after Sharif called police – having fled to Pakistan – to say he had beaten her ‘too much’.
When police found the girl’s body dumped under the pink covers of her bunk bed by her fleeing family there were so many injuries- at least 71 externally and 29 fractures – that it was impossible to say which wound caused her death.
Within months of meeting Sara’s mother Ms Domin, Sharif was arrested for assaulting her and two children after the mother said she had been held captive in November 2010.
But police released him without charge after Sharif claimed he was the victim.
Ms Domin told Polish TV channel Uwaga of his sadistic abuse: ‘Once, he tried to set me on fire, poured oil on me, but his cousin stopped him. He simply locked me in a room. Locked me in all day until the police arrived.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: ‘Today, after an eight-week trial, a jury has found the father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif guilty of her murder. Her uncle was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
Urfan Sharif, 42, was emotionless as he was found guilty of murdering his daughter
Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, wept as she was found guilty of murdering the girl
‘Sara was a bright and lively little girl who loved singing and dancing, and on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her mother, Olga, her siblings, and all those who knew and cared for her.
‘Sara’s spirit, bravery and resilience in the face of the abuse she suffered has shone through from the vast enquiries that have been undertaken in this case.
‘Sara’s young life was brought to an end as a result of the brutal abuse inflicted on her by her father and stepmother, which her uncle did nothing to prevent.
‘This case has shocked and horrified not only those who knew and loved her, but people across the country and around the world.
‘On 10 August 2023, we received a phone call from Sharif in which he told the operator that his daughter had died as a result of his actions.
‘From this day Surrey Police has worked tirelessly to build a case to prove that Sharif, Batool and Malik had played their part in Sara’s death.
‘During the trial, Sharif took the stand intending to blame Sara’s death on his wife before changing his story to accept some responsibility while still denying murder.’