Sara Sharif’s dad and step mum sentenced to life for her murder

Sara Sharif suffered years of abuse at the hands of her father Urfan Sharif and step mum Beinash Batool (Pictures: PA/Reuters)

Sara Sharif’s cruel father and stepmum have been jailed for life for her murder.

The 10-year-old suffered years of torture at the hands of dad Urfan Sharif, 42, who regularly battered her with a cricket bat, metal pole and phone – even as she lay dying.

He also recruited his wife Beinash Batool, 30, to help him carry out the violence, with Sara often restrained with packaging tape and makeshift hoods throughout the twisted bouts of punishments.

She had suffered more than 25 broken bones, iron burns on her bottom, scalding marks to her feet, and human bites during a campaign of abuse spanning at least two years.

‘The degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable’, Mr Justice John Cavanagh said in his sentencing remarks. ‘This happened in plain sight, in front of the rest of the family.’

Her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who lived with them, was convicted of causing or allowing her death after a jury deliberated for nine hours and 46 minutes.

All three – who flew to Pakistan leaving Sara’s battered and broken body under the pink duvet on her bunk bed at their Surrey home – were sentenced at the Old Bailey today.

Sara loved to sing and play guitar Picture: Surrey Police/PA)

Sara Sharif’s mother Olga Sharif described her killers as ‘sadists’ and ‘cowards’.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC, she said: ‘Sara was always smiling. She had her own unique character. The only thing I had left to give to my daughter was to give her a beautiful Catholic funeral that she deserves.

‘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.’

During the trial, jurors heard Sara suffered at least 71 external injuries and 29 fractures were found – so many that it was impossible to say which killed her.

Batool had told her sister that Sharif would ‘beat the crap’ out of his daughter.

But instead of reporting him or summoning help, she became the instigator of the violence by telling Sharif she was ‘naughty’ and demanding he ‘sort her out’.

Her injuries became so obvious, they made her wear a hijab to school to disguise them before removing her from the classroom permanently to be ‘home schooled’.

Urfan Sharif called the police when he arrived in Islamabad and confessed he had beaten her up ‘too much’ (Picture: Surrey Police/PA)

Jurors heard Beinash Batool would call her husband home to ‘sort Sara out’ (Picture: Surrey Police/PA)

The court heard Faisal Malik knew what was being done to Sara but did nothing to help (Picture: Surrey Police/PA)

The violence intensified in those weeks between her being taken out of school and culminated in her death in August last year.

Jurors heard that Sharif had been granted custody in 2019, despite earlier allegations of child abuse and arrests for alleged controlling behaviour towards ex-girlfriends.

In documents later released by the family court, it emerged that concerns were raised about Sara’s care within a week of her birth in 2013, with her parents known to social services as early as 2010.

Surrey County Council repeatedly raised ‘significant concerns’ that Sara was likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents.

There were three sets of family court proceedings, but allegations that Sharif was physically abusing Sara and her siblings were never tested in court.

Sara was repeatedly returned to her parents’ care before finally being placed with her father and stepmother, four years before she was murdered.

Sir Keir Starmer described the case as ‘awful’ and stressed the importance of safeguards for children being home-schooled.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said the case highlighted ‘profound weaknesses in our child protection system’.

Maria Neophytou, acting chief executive of the NSPCC, said it was an ‘shocking case’ raising ‘crucial questions’ about child protection.

Rachael Wardell, from Surrey County Council, said that until an independent safeguarding review has concluded, a ‘complete picture cannot be understood or commented upon’.

Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, said in a statement: ‘My dear Sara, I ask God to please take care of my little girl, she was taken too soon.

‘She will always be in our hearts, her laughter will bring warmth to our lives. We miss Sara very much. Love you, Princess.’

Sara’s siblings and half-siblings who were taken to Pakistan following her murder remain in the city of Jhelum, with their paternal grandfather. Efforts to return them to the UK are ongoing.

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