Sara Sharif's father and stepmother jailed for life for 10-year-old's murder

Justice Cavanagh said few crimes heard at the Old Bailey had been as “terrible” as the abuse suffered by Sara Sharif from Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool.

Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother have been jailed for life at the Old Bailey for the 10-year-old’s murder.

Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, was told he will serve a minimum term of 40 years and stepmother Beinash Batool was sentenced to a minimum term of 33 years

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, received a 16-year jail sentence for causing or allowing the death of a child.

Handing down the sentences, Mr Justice Cavanagh said: “It is no exaggeration to describe the campaign of abuse against Sara as torture.

“The degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable.”

Sara was found dead in a bunk bed in the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10, 2023.

Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were found guilty of her murder at the Old Bailey on Wednesday. Her uncle Faisal Malik was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.

Ahead of the sentencing, a victim statement from Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, was read out. She was watching the hearing via an online link.

She paid tribute to her daughter’s “unique character”, and said she was an “angel”.

“Sara was always smiling. She had her own unique character,” the statement, read by prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC, said.

“She is now an angel who looks down on us from heaven, she is no longer experiencing violence. To this day, I can’t understand how someone can be such a sadist to a child.”

Addressing the defendants in the dock, she said, “You are sadists, although even this word is not enough for you. I would say you are executioners.”

Sara’s family, including her mother, had been known to social services for over a decade. Both Ms Domin and Mr Sharif had accused each other of child abuse.

During the trial, jurors were told Sara had suffered more than 70 injuries shortly before her death.

Justice Cavanaugh also described how medical experts found a total of 25 separate fractures to the bones in Sara’s body, on top of the fresh injuries.

The court heard she had been hooded, burned and beaten during more than two years of abuse, and began wearing a hijab to hide her facial injuries in January 2023.

Sara was also removed from school four months before her death, despite recent social services referrals after teachers noticed that she had bruises on her face. Today, the government announced new regulations around homeschooling in response.

Sara was found following a 101 call from Urfan Sharif, two days after she died. In the call from Pakistan, he said he “beat [Sara] up too much” for “being naughty”.

Jurors heard Mr Sharif, Ms Batool and Mr Malik travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with Sara’s five brothers and sisters on August 9 2023, after Sara’s murder.

Under cross-examination, Urfan Sharif accepted “full responsibility” for her death. but denied that he intended to kill her.

Jurors had previously been told his case was that his wife, Beinash Batool, was responsible for Sara’s death and that he had made a false confession in a phone call to protect his wife.