The harrowing case of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl tortured to death by her father, stepmother, and uncle, has sparked outrage and calls for reform. The Old Bailey trial revealed shocking details of prolonged abuse, missed warning signs, and failures in safeguarding measures that ultimately led to Sara’s tragic death in August 2023.
A Culture of Violence and Abuse
Sara Sharif’s father, Urfan Sharif, 43, and her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of murder, while her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing her death. Prosecutors described a “culture of violent discipline” created by Urfan, where abuse became normalized in their Woking, Surrey, home.
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Sara endured unspeakable torture, with more than 25 broken bones, burns, and bite marks on her body. Evidence showed she had been beaten with a cricket bat, metal pole, and mobile phone, strangled, and subjected to burns from boiling water and an iron. Investigators also found that she had been bound and hooded during the abuse. The extent of her injuries pointed to months of systematic violence, described by prosecutors as a “daily living hell.”
Escape and Confession
On August 8, 2023, Sara collapsed at home. Instead of seeking help, her stepmother called family members and summoned Urfan. When he arrived, he struck Sara with a pole for “pretending.” Hours later, the couple arranged flights to Pakistan for themselves, Malik, and other children, leaving Sara’s lifeless body in a bunk bed.
Urfan called police from Islamabad, confessing he had “beaten her up too much.” Officers who searched the Woking home found Sara’s body, along with a handwritten note by Urfan stating, “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her.” The defendants were arrested in September 2023 upon returning to the UK.
Missed Warning Signs
Sara’s death raises serious questions about systemic failures in child protection. Despite years of red flags—including reports of bruises from her school, referrals to social services, and concerns raised during custody hearings—Sara remained in her father’s care.
Social services had been involved with the family since Sara’s birth when she was placed under a child protection plan. Despite accusations of abuse against Urfan and his history of violence toward other women and children, a family court awarded him custody in 2019, reportedly influenced by his attendance at parenting courses. In 2023, Sara’s school reported facial bruises, but the case was dropped within days. By April, Sara was homeschooled, and the violence escalated.
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The verdicts came after an eight-week trial that left jurors visibly distressed. Urfan, who initially denied responsibility, admitted under questioning to assaulting Sara but claimed he did not intend to harm her seriously. Batool and Malik denied involvement, with Batool’s lawyers portraying her as a victim of Urfan’s control. The case has prompted widespread condemnation of the failures to protect Sara. Advocacy groups like Women’s Aid called for urgent reforms to prioritize children’s safety in custody decisions.