KARACHI: Urfan Sharif, who was jailed last month for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter Sara Sharif, has been attacked in Belmarsh Prison, Sky News reported on Friday.

On Dec 17, Urfan and Sara’s stepmother were jailed for 40 and 33 years, respectively, for her murder after a trial which heard harrowing details of her treatment, according to Dawn.com.

Urfan is understood to have suffered slashes to his face and body, requiring stitches, Sky News reported, adding that he received local care inside prison.

A Prison Service spokesperson told the TV channel: “Police are investigating an assault on a prisoner at HMP Belmarsh on 1 January. It would be inappropriate to comment further while they investigate.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said officers were probing “an allegation that a prisoner was assaulted at Belmar­­sh”, adding that “the 43-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries”.

According to British tabloid newspaper The Sun, Sharif was attacked by two inmates on New Year’s Day who used a jagged tuna tin lid in the ambush. “Urfan was sliced up badly in his cell by two others who rushed in. It was planned and they used a makeshift weapon — made from the lid of a tin of tuna,” a source told the tabloid.

“He was sliced in the neck and face, and is still in healthcare and in a very bad way. He was lucky to survive, has had to have stitches and will have scars as a permanent reminder of the attack. The guards tried to keep him safe because he obviously had a target on his back after the case was such big news. Something like this was always on the cards, and an attack was probably only a matter of time,” said the source.

Sara 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”.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025