Sara Sharif case: Father and stepmother jailed for murder

Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl found dead in her home in Woking, England, in August 2023, was the victim of a prolonged and brutal campaign of violence, prosecutors revealed.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, 43, and his wife, Beinash Batool, 30, were sentenced to 40 and 33 years in prison, respectively, after being convicted of her murder.

The trial at London’s Old Bailey Court disclosed harrowing details of Sara’s mistreatment, including burns, broken bones, and bite marks. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones described the violence as “serious and repeated.”

The couple fled to Pakistan after Sara’s death but was arrested in September 2023 at London’s Gatwick Airport after returning from Dubai.

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing her death, for which he received a 16-year sentence. In a victim statement read in court, Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, expressed her grief, condemning the defendants as “executioners.”

Judge John Cavanagh described the abuse as “torture” and emphasized the severity of the crime, noting the “despicable treatment” of the child.