Sara Sharif’s evil dad and stepmum are jailed for life after murdering girl, 10, in barbaric two-year abuse campaign
SARA Sharif’s evil dad and stepmum have been jailed for life after murdering the schoolgirl in a barbaric two-year torture campaign.
The tragic ten-year-old was hooded, burned and bitten by Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool as they dished out sadistic “punishments”.
Sara was found bludgeoned to death with at least 71 internal injuries at home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year.
Sharif, 42, his wife Batool, 30, and brother Faisal Malik, 29, were at the centre of a global manhunt after fleeing the UK after her death.
Once he landed in Pakistan, the evil dad called police to confess his daughter was dead after he beat her up “too much”.
Sharif wept as he and Batool were today jailed for life with a minimum of 40 years and 33 years after being convicted of murder.
Sara’s uncle Malik was also jailed for 16 years after being cleared of murder but found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara’s death was the “culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults, and what can only be described as the torture of this small child”.
He said the final thing she felt before she died was her “own father beating her for supposedly faking injury”.
Sara’s mum Olga Domin today revealed her torment over the killing in a powerful victim impact statement.
She addressed her ex-husband Sharif and his new wife Batool as “cowards”.
The mum continued: “You are sadists although even this word is not enough for you. I would say you are executioners.”
Olga also told how she is now under constant psychological supervision following her daughter’s horrific death.
The mum added: “Sara was always smiling, she had her own unique character.
“The only thing I had left to give to my daughter was to give her a beautiful Catholic funeral which she deserves.
“She is not far from home and is visited every day. There are candles for her and flowers for her and she is now an angel that looks down from heaven.
“She is no longer experiencing violence. To this day I cannot understand how someone can be such a sadist to a child.”
During a harrowing trial, jurors were told Sara’s nightmare began in 2019 when Sharif was handed custody of the schoolgirl – despite abuse allegations being made against him.
Up until that point, she had been living with her mum Olga Domin and was under a child protection plan.
Once she was in the care of her evil dad, Sara “suffered dreadfully ” in a savage abuse campaign.
She was bound and had her head covered with a hood as agonising punishments were dished out by Sharif.
Sara was also burned with an iron and bitten during the two-year abuse campaign.
The schoolgirl was made to wear a hijab to conceal her injuries, which neighbours found “unusual” as she was the only family member to wear one.
The abuse became so “normalised” that student Malik failed to act after moving in with the family in December 2022.
While Stepmum Batool described Sharif as a “psycho” who “beat the crap out of Sara” – yet stood back and did nothing to stop the torture.
Describing one incident, she wrote: “Why the hell am I ever letting him in the house. I feel really sorry for Sara, poor girl can’t walk, she literally fainted in the kitchen in the morning, he made her do sit ups all night.
“It’s been so crazy man, you don’t even understand.”
Between June 6, 2022, and March 10, 2023, the court heard teachers noted Sara had bruising under her eye on two separate occasions.
The school notified the authorities and a social services referral was made – but officials decided not to intervene just six days later.
On April 17, 2023, Sharif removed Sara from school confirming his daughter would be homeschooled with immediate effect.
The decision proved fatal for defenceless Sara as Sharif was free to ramp up his sadistic abuse away from preying eyes.
Packing tape was used to tie the terrified schoolgirl to a radiator and she was made to wear a nappy, which were not changed while she was bound.
This violence reached a fatal head on August 8 when Sara was battered to death with a cricket bat.
Even as she lay dying in Batool’s lap, Sharif had whacked her in the stomach twice for “pretending”.
Sara was then taken into the garden, stripped of her dirty leggings and nappy and cleaned with a jetwash.
The following day, Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan – leaving the youngster dead in a bunk-bed.
Sharif then called police to say he had beaten Sara “too much” as a punishment for being naughty.
When police arrived, the found a chilling note by the schoolgirl that read: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
Officers also discovered a cricket bat stained with Sarah’s blood, a rolling pin with her DNA and black rope with her hair attached to it.
Sara had suffered 71 injuries – including two open burn wounds, a break in her neck bone, human bite marks and a brain injury.
During his evidence, Sharif dramatically told jurors: “I accept every single thing”.
He admitted causing fractures – including to her neck bone – by hitting Sara with a cricket bat.
But the dad claimed he did not mean to “harm” Sara when he bound and beat her with the weapon.
He also denied that he had bitten the youngster and burned her with scalding water.
When asked if he had intended to kill his daughter, Sharif replied: “Yes, she died because of me.”
15 missed opportunities to save tragic Sara
By Ed Southgate
JANUARY 2013: Sara was made subject to a child protection plan at birth because of Urfan Sharif being accused of attacking three women including her mother, as well as hitting and biting two children.
But she was allowed to remain with her father.
FEBRUARY 22, 2013: A month after Sara was born, social services and police were told that Sharif had slapped a child around the face.
Nothing was done.
MAY 7, 2013: A social worker spotted a burn mark on a child’s leg.
Sharif failed to report the incident and claimed it was a barbecue accident. Nothing was done.
OCTOBER 7, 2013: A child was seen with a burn mark made by a domestic iron.
Sharif told social services the child had bumped into the appliance.
No action was taken.
2013 TO 2014: A child told a social worker that Sharif smashed up a TV and punched Sara’s mother Olga.
NOVEMBER 2014: Sara was taken into foster care after a child told a social worker about a bite mark.
But she later returned to live with her father following a family court hearing in October 2019 where social services recommended Sara lived with her father because that was her preference.
JANUARY 2015: Sharif was reported to social services for waving a knife around at home in what he said was a zombie game.
Social workers noted that Sharif hit and kicked Olga at home and the pair threatened to kill each other.
FEBRUARY 2015: A child told their foster carer that Sharif used to hit them on the bottom with a belt.
In September that year the child was heard to say to Sharif: “When you’re at home you hit and kick me every day.”
2015: Olga told social services about Sharif tightening a belt around her neck.
Around this time social workers complained Sharif was coercive and derogatory towards them.
A male social worker was then appointed to the family.
DECEMBER 2016: A child told a social worker they did not like Sharif because he punched them all over their body and gave them lots of bruises.
Social workers saw Sara flinch when Sharif told her off during supervised contact and seem surprised when he cuddled her.
JUNE 6, 2022: A teacher reported that Sara had a bruise under her eye, using the school’s online child protection monitoring system.
Sara initially would not say what happened, before later saying another child hit her.
But no referral was made to social services.
MARCH 10, 2023: A teacher saw bruises on Sara’s face.
Sara said she had fallen on roller skates.
When she gave a different story to a safeguarding lead, the school made a referral to social services.
Six days later social services decided to take no further action.
It is understood there had been no contact between social services and Sara’s family for four years at this point.
Social services categorised the case as the second highest priority and asked other agencies for information.
When nothing came back, the case was closed.
MARCH 20, 2023: A report was logged on the school’s internal system after Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool was overheard referring to children as “motherf***er, sister f***er, b**** and whore” in the playground.
But no details were passed to social services.
MARCH 28, 2023: Batool claimed a mark on Sara’s face was caused by a pen.
The teacher told the school safeguarding lead.
APRIL 17, 2023: Sharif decided to home-school Sara.
School staff rang the council for advice and were told they should make a referral if there were concerns.
Staff saw Sara later that day at school pick-up and she seemed fine so they decided against it, even though she had been beaten earlier that day.
Maria Neophytou, Acting CEO of the NSPCC, said: “With the sentencing of Sharif and Batool for Sara Sharif’s murder and Mailk for allowing her death, this shocking and heart-breaking court case has concluded. But it is vital that we do not allow the memory of Sara and what she was made to suffer to fade.
“The Child Safeguarding Practice Review must undertake an exhaustive search for answers so we can understand how this horrific abuse was able to happen, and for so long.
“The recommendations must then be quickly implemented, to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in Surrey, and across the UK.
“At the same time the Government must recognise something more fundamental has to change. Sara has now joined a lengthening list from recent years, which also includes Arthur Labinjo Hughes, Star Hobson and Alfie Phillips, where horrific abuse from a parent or carer has directly led to the death of a young child.
“To significantly reduce the likelihood of more of these terrible cases emerging, there needs to be substantial, nationwide, reform and investment in the services which we rely on to keep our children safe.”