UK court jails father, stepmother for life for murder of daughter Sara Sharif

Published December 17, 2024
A combination of handout photographs made available by Surrey Police on December 11 shows Urfan Sharif (L), Beinash Batool (R) and Sara Sharif (M). — Photo by Handout/Surrey Police/AFP
A combination of handout photographs made available by Surrey Police on December 11 shows Urfan Sharif (L), Beinash Batool (R) and Sara Sharif (M). — Photo by Handout/Surrey Police/AFP

The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl who was found dead in her home in Britain, were on Tuesday jailed for 40 and 33 years respectively for her murder after a trial which heard harrowing details of her treatment.

She was found dead in August 2023 at her home in Woking, a town southwest of London, after what prosecutors said 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 injuries, including burns, multiple 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.

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

Urfan and Batool appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey, where they heard a statement read on behalf of Sara’s mother Olga Domin who called them “executioners”.

“You are sadists, although even this word is not enough for you,” her statement read. “I would say you are executioners.”

Judge John Cavanagh sentenced Urfan to a minimum of 40 years in prison and Batool to a minimum of 33 years. Malik was sentenced to 16 years.

“The courts at the Old Bailey have been witness to many accounts of awful crimes, but few can have been more terrible than the account of the despicable treatment of this poor child that the jury in this case have had to endure,” Cavanagh said.

“It is no exaggeration to describe the campaign of abuse against Sara as torture.”

Opinion

Editorial

Mineral wealth
Updated 10 Apr, 2025

Mineral wealth

The Baloch unrest is partly the result of the belief that the province’s resources are being used for the rest of the country rather than for Balochistan’s economic development.
Senate shortfalls
10 Apr, 2025

Senate shortfalls

THE latest Citizens’ Report by Pildat on the performance of the Senate of Pakistan is a sobering account of...
Crypto coup
10 Apr, 2025

Crypto coup

IT is quite the coup. One of the most recognisable names in the global cryptocurrency market has been roped in by ...
Following through
Updated 09 Apr, 2025

Following through

Reconciliation, development, and deradicalisation initiatives cannot remain dormant words in a policy document.
Robe rebellion
09 Apr, 2025

Robe rebellion

THE unrest within the Islamabad High Court shows no sign of abating, and it is perhaps just as well that the ...
Fearing birth
09 Apr, 2025

Fearing birth

AMID dramatic aid cuts, the WHO has sounded the alarm about the dangers to Pakistan’s mothers and newborns, asking...