Relentless Violence Parents Jailed for Murder of Pakistani Girl

Photo: AFP

A UK court on sentenced the father and stepmother of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl to life in prison for her murder, following what was described as a prolonged "campaign of torture" and "despicable abuse."

Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, will serve minimum terms of 40 and 33 years, respectively, for the killing of Sara Sharif, who had endured years of severe violence since the age of six.

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London's Old Bailey court heard that Sara’s body was found in August 2023 at her empty family home, bearing 71 fresh injuries, 25 broken bones, and burns caused by an electric iron and boiling water.

Judge John Cavanagh, in his sentencing, described Sara as a "beautiful little girl full of personality," adding that her life was marked by "acts of extreme cruelty." The court heard that Sara was beaten with a metal pole and cricket bat, tied up with a combination of parcel tape, rope, and a plastic bag over her head, and left in soiled nappies after being denied bathroom access.

The judge criticized Sharif and Batool for treating Sara as "worthless" and a "skivvy" due to her gender and because she was not Batool’s biological child. He noted that neither showed "a shred of remorse" for their actions.

"The stress, pain, and trauma that this campaign of violence caused Sara is unimaginable," Cavanagh said. "This poor child was battered with great force repeatedly."

On the day of her death, Sharif struck Sara twice in the stomach with a metal high-chair leg as she lay unconscious.

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was also found guilty of causing or allowing her death and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Sara’s birth mother, Olga, told the court her daughter is now "an angel who looks down on us from heaven." In her statement, she expressed disbelief at the cruelty her daughter endured, calling the perpetrators "sadists."

Police described the case as one of the most distressing they had ever encountered.

The day after Sara's death, Sharif, Batool, and Malik fled their home in Woking, southwest London, and flew to Pakistan with five other children. Sharif later called the police from Islamabad, reporting Sara's death and leaving a note claiming he had not intended to kill her.

The trio returned to the UK after a month and were arrested upon landing. The five other children remain in Pakistan.

The case has sparked outrage over the failure of social services to protect Sara. Her father had withdrawn her from school in April 2023, citing plans to homeschool her. Teachers had earlier reported injuries on Sara’s body, including her attempts to cover bruises with a hijab, but child services failed to act.

Addressing Sharif in court, the judge called his actions "nothing short of gruesome" and said it was "hard to imagine" the terror Sara must have felt. "You intended her life to be filled with pain and misery," he said.

The case has reignited public anger over child cruelty cases and prompted authorities to propose stricter safeguards. Under the proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in parliament on Tuesday, parents would lose the automatic right to withdraw children from school if authorities suspect the child is at risk.