Sara Sharif case: Father, stepmother convicted of brutal murder after UK trial

Published December 11, 2024
An undated handout photograph shows British-Pakistani girl Sara Sharif at school. — AFP
An undated handout photograph shows British-Pakistani girl Sara Sharif at school. — AFP
A combination of handout photographs made available by Surrey Police on December 11 shows (L-R) Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik, respectively father, stepmother and uncle of British-Pakistani girl Sara Sharif in custody. — AFP
A combination of handout photographs made available by Surrey Police on December 11 shows (L-R) Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik, respectively father, stepmother and uncle of British-Pakistani girl Sara Sharif in custody. — AFP

The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in her home in Britain, were on Wednesday convicted of her murder after a trial which heard harrowing details of her treatment before her killing.

Sara was found dead in August 2023 at her home in Woking, a town southwest of London, after what prosecutors say was a campaign of “serious and repeated violence”.

The family fled to Pakistan immediately after she was killed, before they were arrested in September 2023 at London’s Gatwick airport after flying from Dubai.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors at the start of the trial that Sara had suffered a litany of injuries, including burns, broken bones and bite marks.

Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 43, and his wife Beinash Batool, 30, stood trial at London’s Old Bailey court charged with her murder, which they denied.

The jury convicted Urfan Sharif and Batool of Sara’s murder. Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing Sara’s death.

Urfan and Batool will be sentenced on December 17.

Emlyn Jones told jurors at the start of the trial that Urfan had called police and said: “It wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”

Urfan gave evidence and initially denied responsibility for Sara’s death. He accepted slapping Sara to discipline her but denied beating her in a regular or sustained way.

But, under questioning from Batool’s lawyer Caroline Carberry, he later said he took “full responsibility” for his daughter’s death.

Lawyers for Batool, who did not give evidence, said Urfan was violent and controlling and that she was scared of him.

Must Read

Opinion

Editorial

Remembering APS
Updated 16 Dec, 2024

Remembering APS

Ten years later, the state must fully commit itself to implementing NAP if Pakistan is to be rid of terrorism and fanaticism.
Cricket momentum
16 Dec, 2024

Cricket momentum

A WASHOUT at The Wanderers saw Pakistan avoid a series whitewash but they will go into the One-day International...
Grievous trade
16 Dec, 2024

Grievous trade

THE UN’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 is a sobering account of how the commodification of humans...
Economic plan?
Updated 15 Dec, 2024

Economic plan?

So long as the government does not realise that it needs to put its own house in order, growth will remain anaemic and the world will be reluctant to help.
Registration tussle
15 Dec, 2024

Registration tussle

MAULANA Fazlur Rehman appears to be having trouble digesting the fact that he was taken for a ride. The government,...
Dangerous overreach
15 Dec, 2024

Dangerous overreach

THE latest wave of arrests and cases filed against journalists and social media users under Peca marks an alarming...