Urfan Sharif, 42, and his wife Beinash Batool, 30, have been convicted of the brutal murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, a crime that has exposed systemic failures by authorities over a decade. Both now face life imprisonment for a killing described as unspeakably brutal, following years of abuse and missed opportunities by police, social services, and the judiciary to protect Sara.
Sharif, a taxi driver, fled to Pakistan with Batool the day after Sara’s murder, believing he could evade justice. However, both were apprehended and brought back to the UK to face trial. During the trial, Batool wept as the guilty verdict was announced, while Sharif showed no emotion. Sharif’s brother, Faisal Malik, 29, was also convicted of causing or allowing Sara’s death.
Sara’s short life was marked by unimaginable abuse. She was subjected to beatings with a cricket bat, metal pole, and rolling pin, strangled until her neck broke, burned with an iron, and bitten. On the night of her death, she was barely conscious as she lay in Batool’s arms while Sharif delivered the fatal blows with a metal pole. When police discovered her body under the pink covers of her bunk bed, Sara had at least 71 external injuries and 29 fractures. The injuries were so severe that determining the exact cause of death was impossible.
Authorities failed Sara at multiple points. Over a decade, police received reports of Sharif’s abusive behaviour from three women and two children, including a one-month-old baby, yet no charges were ever brought against him. Sharif’s manipulative tactics included grooming victims and even convincing a 14-year-old to testify in his defence during the trial.
Sharif’s violent history included holding one woman at knifepoint, choking another with a belt, and imprisoning a girlfriend for five days while filing a fraudulent marriage application to secure UK residency. Despite such allegations, he repeatedly evaded accountability, portraying himself as the victim and using coercion to silence those he harmed.
After Sara’s murder, Sharif fled to Pakistan, where his family shielded him and provided false alibis. Police in Pakistan eventually pressured his family by filing charges, leading to his return to the UK for trial. Throughout the case, Sharif’s manipulative behaviour continued, but he eventually confessed to Sara’s murder midway through the trial.
An independent safeguarding review has been launched to investigate how systemic failures contributed to Sara’s death. The review will examine why a family court judge placed Sara in Sharif’s custody despite his history of violence, as well as the repeated failures of social services, law enforcement, and her school to intervene.
Sara’s death has prompted outrage and calls for accountability, highlighting the urgent need for reform to prevent such tragedies in the future. Authorities are now under scrutiny to address the systemic issues that allowed years of abuse to culminate in the murder of a vulnerable child.
