Family of Sara Sharif to lodge appeal against sentences for her murder
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The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif are seeking to appeal against the sentences they received for her murder. 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.
Urfan Sharif, 42, and Beinash Batool, 30, were subsequently jailed for life for her murder last month, with minimum terms of 40 years and 33 years respectively. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who was found guilty of causing or allowing her death, was jailed for 16 years.
It is understood that all three have now made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appealing against their sentences. It comes after calls were 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”. She had suffered 71 “fresh” injuries, including 25 broken bones, iron burns on her bottom, scalding marks to her feet, and human bites.
Within hours of Sara’s death, Sharif and Batool had booked flights to Pakistan for the whole family, including her five siblings and half siblings. The defendants returned to the UK on September 13 2023, leaving the children behind, and were detained within minutes of a flight touching down at Gatwick airport.
