Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother sentenced to life in prison for ‘campaign of abuse’ that killed 10-year-old

London – The father and stepmother of a badly abused 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for murder. Urfan Sharif, 42, and Beinash Batool, 30, were convicted last week of murder in Sara Sharif’s death in what prosecutors called a “campaign of abuse.”

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing the girl’s death. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

After Sara died, the three fled to Pakistan, where Urfan Sharif called British police and said he had “punished her legally and she had died,” prosecutors said. He said he “beat her up too much” but had no intention of killing her.

Police in London then went to the family home and discovered Sara’s body under a blanket in a bunk bed on August 10, 2023.

The three later returned to Britain more than a month after their escape and were arrested on suspicion of murder.

The trial at the Central Criminal Court brought to light horrific details of the abuse, including more than 70 fresh and many older injuries, including bruises, burns, fractures and bite marks, and raised questions about the failure of social services and authorities to intervene and protect them .

“Sara’s death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assault and what can only be described as torture,” Judge John Cavanagh said. “The extent of the cruelty is almost unimaginable… None of you have shown even a hint of genuine remorse.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week called for tougher protections for home-schooled children like Sara, saying there were “questions that need to be answered” following her murder. Sara died months after her father took her out of public school to be homeschooled after a teacher reported the little girl’s bruises to social services.

British child protection authorities looked at the report but took no action.

Starmer said the case was about “ensuring that there are safeguards in place for children, particularly those who are home-schooled”.