Bid to review ‘unduly lenient’ murder sentence for Sara Sharif’s father
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The Solicitor General has decided to appeal against the murder sentence handed to Sara Sharif’s father on the grounds it is “unduly lenient”. The 10-year-old suffered “unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety” as she was repeatedly beaten, burned, bitten and restrained at the family home in Woking, Surrey, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.
Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 43, was jailed for life for her murder last month with minimum term of 40 years. Her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, was also convicted of murdering Sara and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years. A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: “The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby MP has referred Urfan Sharif’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
“It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years. The Solicitor General’s appeal bid comes after Sharif, Batool and Malik all made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appealing against their sentences, it is understood.
Calls have also been 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, on August 10 2023, after her father rang police from Pakistan to confess he had beaten her “too much”.
