On Tuesday, the Old Bailey court in London will hand down its sentence against Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool, found guilty of the murder of little Sara Sharif. The tragedy that shook the United Kingdom highlights not only the violence suffered by the 10-year-old girl, but also the many missed opportunities to save her.
The horrors revealed by the autopsy
The autopsy of Sara, a British-Pakistani child who died on August 8, 2023, revealed a horrific picture: more than a hundred injuries, ranging from multiple fractures to burn marks, including one inflicted by an iron, through human bites.
Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of murder. Faisal Malik, Sara’s uncle, was also convicted of contributing to her death. After Sara’s death, the trio fled to Pakistan, leaving her lifeless body on a bed in Woking, before being brought back to the UK and arrested.
Confessions and damning testimonies
During the trial, Urfan Sharif, who worked as a taxi driver, initially blamed his wife before finally admitting his guilt. He explained that he tried to “ punish legally » Sara, but admitted to having “ too beaten “. Sara’s teacher testified to the distress of the child, who often wore a hijab to hide her injuries, although reports were made without success.
The violence against Sara had become routine, according to prosecutor William Emlyn Jones, including strangulation, beatings with a cricket bat and a cell phone. Social services, who knew the family before Sara’s birth, had already removed two other children from Urfan Sharif, but Sara and a brother were left in his care despite his violent behavior.
On the day of his death, Urfan allegedly hit Sara in the stomach with the leg of a high chair, accusing her of faking it. Batool and Malik, meanwhile, remained silent during the trial, without expressing remorse. The case caused a national outcry, prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to propose new measures to protect home-schooled children.
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