London, December 11, 2024: A UK court has found Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother, and uncle guilty in connection with the brutal murder of the 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl, following years of horrific abuse.
Urfan Sharif, 42, and his wife, Beinash Batool, 30, were convicted of Sara’s murder, while her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death after a trial at the Old Bailey.
Justice Cavanagh adjourned sentencing until next Tuesday, acknowledging the “extremely stressful and traumatic” nature of the case for jurors.
Sara was killed on August 8, 2023, four years after her father was granted custody despite prior abuse allegations. Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC described how Urfan created a “culture of violent discipline,” where routine and normalized abuse escalated to deadly levels.
Sara’s body was discovered in a bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, bearing evidence of severe abuse, including over 25 broken bones caused by a cricket bat, metal pole, and mobile phone. She had iron burns on her buttocks, boiling water burns on her feet, human bite marks, and signs of throttling. Her body also showed she had been hooded and bound with packaging tape during the assaults.
After Sara’s death, Urfan, Batool, and their family fled to Pakistan. Upon arriving in Islamabad, Urfan confessed to Pakistani authorities that he had “beaten her too much.” Police later found Sara’s body alongside a note confessing to the abuse.
On returning to the UK on September 13, 2023, the three defendants were arrested at Gatwick Airport. During the trial, Urfan initially blamed Batool before changing his story and taking “full responsibility” for Sara’s death, only to later backtrack, denying intent to cause serious harm.
Sara’s abuse had been reported by her teachers months before her death, prompting a referral to social services, but the case was dropped within days. By January 2023, Sara began wearing a hijab to conceal bruises at school. In April, she was withdrawn from school entirely, and the violence intensified in the weeks leading up to her death.
On the day of Sara’s death, Batool frantically called Urfan home. When he arrived to find Sara gravely injured, his response was to strike her in the stomach, accusing her of pretending. Hours later, the family booked flights to Pakistan, abandoning their other children upon their return to the UK.
While Batool and Malik refused to testify, it was alleged that Batool was both a victim of Urfan’s control and complicit in Sara’s abuse. Defense attorneys for Batool argued Urfan was the sole perpetrator, while evidence suggested both Batool and Malik played roles in the violence.
Chief Superintendent Mark Chapman of Surrey Police extended condolences to Sara’s family and recognized the traumatic impact of the case on all involved. He praised the investigative efforts of UK authorities and their international counterparts in navigating complex legal frameworks to secure justice.
“This prosecution has shed light on the unimaginable suffering Sara endured,” Chapman stated. “Our thoughts remain with those who knew Sara and the wider public affected by the harrowing details of this case.”
