UK court sentences father, stepmother to life jail for daughter’s death after years of physically abusing her
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A court in the United Kingdom has sentenced to life jail the father and stepmother of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old they murdered after she suffered years of abuse inflicted on her by the couple.
Urfan Sharif will serve at least 40 years in prison and Beinash Batool a minimum of 33 years.
Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, was also sentenced to a minimum of 16 years after being found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Sara’s mother Olga Domin, who lives in Poland, called them “cowards” in a victim impact statement read out in court, adding: “You are sadists, although even this word isn’t enough for you. You are executioners.”
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Cavanagh of the Old Bailey, London, said that Sara had suffered more than 70 fresh injuries and 25 fractures at the time of her death.
“This poor child was battered with great force, again and again,” the judge said, as reported by Sky News.
Her injuries “included a fractured collar bone, two fractured shoulder blades, fractured ribs, a fractured humerus, eleven separate fractures to her spinal column, and fractures to bones in both of her hands,” Cavanagh added.
“The degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable. It is no exaggeration to describe the campaign of abuse against Sara as torture.”
Sara’s injuries also included a “serious brain injury” sustained a few days before she died and two open burn wounds on her bottom matching an iron found at the house.
The judge said this was something that would have required two people to carry out, one to hold her down and one to inflict the injury.
She was also tied up, covered with a makeshift hood, beaten with a cricket bat and metal pole and bitten, in the weeks before her death.
‘A lively and joyful 10-year-old’
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described Sara as a “lively and joyful 10-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short by the very people who should have protected and cared for her.”
Specialist prosecutor for CPS South East Libby Clark said that the case “painted a devastating picture” of the suffering Sara experienced before her death.
She added that the defendant’s actions after her death “demonstrated a shocking disregard for her life”.
She added: “This has been an incredibly complex and distressing case, and it is thanks to the tireless work of the prosecution team, Surrey Police, international partners, and the CPS International Unit that we were able to secure justice for Sara.”
‘I’ve killed my daughter’
Sharif, 42, Batool, 30, and Malik, 29, fled to Pakistan with the rest of their family after Sara was killed at their home in Woking, Surrey, on 8 August last year.
She was found in a bunkbed two days later after minicab driver Sharif called police saying: “I’ve killed my daughter.”
Sharif claimed “I beat her up too much” because “she was naughty”, adding: “I legally punished her, and she died.”
He had also written a three-page note found tucked under Sara’s pillow which said: “Love you Sara” and “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her but I lost it”.
Sharif and Batool were found guilty of murder following a trial, while McDonald’s worker Malik, who also lived in the house, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child.
The three adults, along with five children, were captured on CCTV at Heathrow Airport, where they boarded a flight to Islamabad the day after Sara’s death.
They were arrested as they returned to Gatwick Airport on 13 September.
Police said the case had “shocked and horrified” people around the world and Prime Minister Keir Starmer is among those who have called for answers after a series of opportunities were missed to protect Sara.
Sharif had been arrested over allegations made by three different women, including domestic violence and making threats to kill, between 2007 and 2010.
Sara’s father and mother Olga Domin were known to social services as far back as 2010 and concerns were raised about her care within a week of her birth in 2013.
Surrey County Council repeatedly raised “significant concerns” that Sara was likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents.
But she kept being returned to their care before finally being placed with her father and stepmother at their home in Woking in 2019 following three sets of family court proceedings.
Prosecutors said Sara started wearing a hijab to hide her injuries before she was taken out of school to be educated at home in April 2023 after teachers spotted bruises on her face and referred her to social services – but the case was closed after six days.
Surrey County Council has said an independently-led safeguarding review of all professionals who had contact with Sara is under way.
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