Urfan Sharif, 43 and Beinash Batool, 30, the father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, have been found guilty of her murder.
Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, is found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Sara Sharif was born in Slough on 11 January 2013. Her father, Urfan Sharif, came to the UK from Pakistan to study and went on to marry Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, in Woking in 2009.
The court has previously heard that Sara had been hooded, burned and beaten during more than two years of abuse. Sara died on 8 August 2023 at her home in Woking, Surrey and her body was found with dozens of injuries two days later.
Speaking outside court, Surrey Police revealed that Sara suffered “brutal abuse” and “unspeakable violence” at the hands of Sharif and Batool, which Malik “did nothing to prevent”
A post-mortem examination found injuries including “probable human bite marks”, an iron burn and scalding from hot water.
The post-mortem examination found the 10-year-old had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries” before her death. A previous court hearing was told police found her body after receiving a call from Pakistan on 10 August 2023.
Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, paid tribute to her daughter, saying: “She will always be in our hearts… Love you, princess.”
“She was a “cheerful little soul” who would “sing to anyone who would listen” and dreamed of being on the X Factor”, her teacher tells the BBC
Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, stepmother, Beinash Batool and uncle, Faisal Malik, flew to Pakistan on 9 August, with Sara’s five brothers and sisters. Urfan Sharif alerted Surrey Police from Pakistan and, during the trial, accepted “full responsibility” for his daughter’s death, but denied that he intended to kill her.
Sharif, Batool and Malik were arrested on suspicion of murder at Gatwick Airport on 13 September, on their return to the UK. All three denied murder and causing or allowing Sara’s death
“This case above any other has been stressful and traumatic,” the judge says.
“In a building where there are many murder trials and emotional cases, this one had been particularly highly charged”, the judge stated. He adds that the defendants will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Sharif, his now wife, Beinash Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, all lived with Sara and her siblings in Woking before her death. The three travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with Sara’s five brothers and sisters on 9 August 2023, the day before her body was found at the family home by Surrey Police.
The three adults were arrested on their return to the UK on 13 September.
BBC
