The “sadistic” father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have been jailed for life for her murder.
Sara was hooded, burned and beaten during a “campaign of torture” that lasted two years before her body was found at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in 2023.
At the Old Bailey, her father Urfan Sharif, 43, was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison for murder, while her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, received a minimum of 33 years.
Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for causing or allowing her death.
Mr Justice Cavanagh told the court “the degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable”.
“You Beinash Batool did not stand in Urfan Sharif’s way. You encouraged Urfan Sharif in his assaults,” he said.
The judge said Sara’s “despicable treatment” took place in “plain sight” of the rest of the family.
In a statement read out in court, Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, said the defendants were “sadists”, adding: “Although even this word is not enough for you. I would say you are executioners.”
Paying tribute to her daughter, Ms Domin said: “She is now an angel who looks down on us from heaven. She is no longer experiencing violence.
“I hoped that when she grew up we would meet, but now that won’t happen.”
Warning: This article features distressing details
The trial heard how a post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered injuries including six probable human bite marks, an iron burn and scalding from hot water before she died on 8 August last year.
Next to Sara’s body, which was found by police in a bunkbed, was a note in her father’s handwriting, which read: “Whoever see this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating.”
Sharif initially claimed that Batool was responsible for Sara’s death, and told the jury he had made a false confession in the note and a subsequent phone call in order to protect his wife.
However, in a dramatic U-turn under cross-examination, Sharif later accepted “full responsibility” for his daughter’s death.
Sara had more than 70 new external injuries when her body was found by police, including 11 fractures to her spine and signs of a traumatic brain injury.
Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with Sara’s five siblings on 9 August 2023, the day before her body was found.
From Pakistan, Sharif called police in England and told the operator that he “legally punished” Sara and she died.
The family spent weeks in hiding as police hunted for them, at times hiding in cornfields to evade detection, according to a man who told the he hid them.
The children were discovered when police raided their grandfather’s house in early September last year, and were subsequently sent to a state childcare facility.
When the three adults flew back to the UK a few days later, they left the children behind.
All five children remain in Pakistan in the temporary care of a relative while a legal battle for where they will live in the long term continues.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC previously said a bloodstained cricket bat, a rolling pin with Sara’s DNA on it, a metal pole, a belt and rope were found near the family’s outhouse.
Dental impressions ruled out that the bite marks had been caused by the male defendants, but Batool refused to provide samples.
Sara began wearing a hijab to hide her injuries in January 2023 after her primary school noticed bruises on her face. By April last year, she had been withdrawn to be home-schooled.
‘She’s dead’
During the trial, Sharif claimed he came home on the evening of 8 August 2023 to find his wife sitting on the floor in the couple’s bedroom, holding Sara.
Giving evidence, he said Batool told him the girl had fallen down the stairs while playing with another child, and that she was “being dramatic”.
Sharif’s reaction was to “whack” Sara in the stomach twice with a pole for “pretending”, jurors heard.
He previously said he also gave his daughter CPR for 10 minutes, but Batool told him to stop.
Sharif said that when he asked where the ambulance was, Batool replied: “There’s no need because she’s dead.”
In his evidence, Sharif began by claiming his confessions were false before admitting “full responsibility” for Sara’s death.
He unexpectedly told the jury: “I admit what I said in my phone call and my written note. Every single word.”
However, he later denied intending to kill Sara and declined to change his plea.
He told the court he was lying when he called his wife, Batool, a “psycho” earlier in the trial.
Sharif admitted beating Sara, but denied biting or burning her.
Batool and Malik did not give evidence during the trial.
NSPCC acting chief executive Maria Neophytou said the “shocking” abuse Sara sustained raised questions regarding child safeguarding.
“To significantly reduce the likelihood of more of these terrible cases emerging, there needs to be substantial, nationwide reform and investment in the services which we rely on to keep our children safe,” she said.
The judge said the case would inevitably raise questions about whether more could have been done to save Sara.
“This case brings into sharp relief the risks of unsupervised home-schooling of vulnerable children,” he said.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said a register which identifies children in England who are not currently attending school will form part of a “landmark” children’s bill, put forward to Parliament the same day as the sentencing.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can visit Action Line.
