Calls for urgent action to protect children after family convicted over Sara Sharif death
Three members of Sara Sharif’s family are facing jail over the 10-year-old’s death amid urgent calls to protect other children “failed” by the system.
Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of her murder.
Her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who lived with them, was convicted of causing or allowing her death after a jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for nine hours and 46 minutes.
Sara (pictured) was beaten to death four years after taxi driver Sharif was awarded custody, despite accusations of abuse against him, jurors heard.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said Sharif created a “culture of violent discipline”, where assaults on Sara had “become completely routine, completely normalised”.
Following the verdicts on Wednesday, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said it highlighted “profound weaknesses in our child protection system”.
She said: “There can be no doubt that Sara was failed in the starkest terms by the safety net of services around her.
“Even before she was born, she was known to social care – and yet she fell off their radar so entirely that by the time she died, she was invisible to them all.
“We can have no more reviews, no more strategies, no more debate. When we say ‘never again’, we have to mean it – let that be Sara’s legacy.”
She called for a raft of changes including “proper oversight” for children, like Sara, being home schooled.
Maria Neophytou, acting chief executive of the NSPCC, said it was an “absolutely shocking case” raising “crucial questions” about child protection.
She said: “It is disturbing that Urfan Sharif believed – and told police – that he did legally punish Sara for being naughty.
“Politicians at Westminster must move swiftly to abolish the defence of reasonable chastisement and give children the same protection from assault as adults.”
Rachael Wardell, from Surrey County Council, said that until an independent safeguarding review has concluded, a “complete picture cannot be understood or commented upon”.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend, welcomed the review, saying: “It is clear in this case that calculated attempts were made to ensure the sustained abuse of Sara happened out of plain sight.
“But there are undoubtedly questions that need answering on what could have been done to prevent her death.”
The court heard how the defendants had fled to Pakistan after Sara died at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 8 2023.
Sharif called police when he arrived in Islamabad and confessed he had beaten her up “too much”.
Officers went to his former home and found Sara’s broken and battered body in a bunk bed, with a confession note from Sharif on the pillow.
Sara had suffered more than 25 broken bones, from being hit repeatedly with a cricket bat, metal pole and mobile phone.
She had a broken hyoid bone in her neck from being throttled, iron burns on her buttocks, boiling water burns on her feet, and human bite marks on her arm and thigh.
There was also evidence she had been bound with packaging tape and hooded during the assaults, which would have left her in excruciating pain, jurors heard.
Batool had told her sisters that Sharif would regularly “beat the crap” out of Sara over the course of more than two years, but failed to report what was going on.
By January 2023, Sara began wearing a hijab to cover up the bruises at school.
Teachers noticed marks on her face and referred her to social services in March of that year, but the case was dropped within days.
The following month, Sara was taken out of school and the violence against her intensified in the weeks before her death.
On August 8, Sara collapsed and Batool reacted by summoning Sharif home and calling her family 30 times.
Sharif’s reaction to finding his daughter lying close to death in Batool’s lap was to “whack” her in the stomach twice with a pole for “pretending”, jurors heard.
Within hours of Sara’s death, the couple were arranging flights to Pakistan for the next day for themselves and the rest of the family.
The defendants returned to the UK on September 13 2023 – leaving behind other children who had travelled with them – and were detained within minutes of a flight touching down at Gatwick airport.
Giving evidence in his trial, Sharif initially blamed Batool for the violence, claiming he was working when his daughter was abused.
On the seventh day of his evidence, he dramatically changed his story and took “full responsibility” for Sara’s death.
Jurors appeared tearful and shocked and Batool wailed in the dock throughout his confession.
He admitted hitting Sara repeatedly with a cricket bat and pole, strangling her with his bare hands, and battering her over the head with a mobile phone.
He denied burning her or putting a hood over her head during “punishments” for her so-called “naughty” behaviour.
Later, he backtracked on his confession and claimed he did not mean to seriously harm Sara, despite having earlier indicated he wanted to change his plea.
Although the bites on Sara’s body did not match Sharif’s teeth, it was alleged he could have encouraged Batool, who alone refused to give a set of her tooth impressions.
Batool and university student Malik refused to give evidence but denied involvement.
Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, said: “My dear Sara, I ask God to please take care of my little girl, she was taken too soon.
“Sara had beautiful, brown eyes and an angelic voice. Sara’s smile could brighten up the darkest room.
“Everyone who knew Sara will know her unique character, her beautiful smile and loud laugh.
“She will always be in our hearts, her laughter will bring warmth to our lives. We miss Sara very much. Love you Princess.”
Libby Clark, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “We have today secured justice for Sara, a bubbly young girl, who was killed by the adults who should have protected her.”
“None of us can imagine how appalling and brutal Sara’s treatment was in the last few weeks of her short life. The injuries inflicted on her were absolutely horrendous.
Detective Chief Inspector Craig Emmerson said: “Sara’s death has been one of the most difficult and distressing cases that Surrey Police has ever dealt with.
“The murder of a child is absolutely shocking but the abuse Sara suffered during her short life has made this case particularly disturbing.”
Mr Justice Cavanagh adjourned sentencing until next Tuesday, telling jurors the case had been “extremely stressful and traumatic”.
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