The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif are seeking to appeal against the sentences they received for her murder.
The 10-year-old was found dead at the family home in Woking on August 10, 2023, having suffered dozens of injuries, including human bite marks, iron burns and fractures. Sara’s dad, Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, were all arrested and later found guilty of carrying out the abuse which led to her death.
Sharif was given a minimum term of 40 years and Batool was handed a minimum term of 33 years. Sara’s uncle Malik was jailed for 16 years. It is understood that all three have now made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appealing against their sentences.
It comes after calls were made to name three judges who oversaw historical family court cases related to Sara, as well as others including social workers and guardians.
Sara was found dead in a bunkbed at her home in Woking, Surrey, after her father rang police from Pakistan to confess he had beaten her “too much”. She had suffered 71 “fresh” injuries, including 25 broken bones, iron burns on her bottom, scalding marks to her feet, and human bites.
Within hours of Sara’s death, Sharif and Batool had booked flights to Pakistan for the whole family, including her five siblings and half siblings. The defendants returned to the UK on September 13, 2023, leaving the children behind, and were detained within minutes of a flight touching down at Gatwick airport.
In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey last month, Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara’s death “was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture”, mainly at the hands of Sharif. He told Sharif: “You treated her in such a way because you considered it your right to impose harsh discipline on her.
“Sara was a brave, feisty and spirited child. She was not submissive as you wanted her to be. She stood up to you. I have no doubt that your ego and sense of self importance was boosted by the power you wielded over her and the rest of the family.”
Batool was prepared to “sacrifice” her stepdaughter, the judge said, adding: “Put bluntly, you did not care about Sara enough to save her.” He dismissed as “preposterous” any suggestion that Malik was too busy on his phone and wearing earbuds to notice what was going on.
Sharif was allegedly attacked by two inmates in a cell at HMP Belmarsh, armed with the jagged lid of a tuna tin, on New Year’s Day, and suffered cuts to his neck and face, the Sun reported.
This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories
