Sara Sharif's father and stepmother to lodge appeal against sentences for 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 was found dead at the family home in Woking on August 10, 2023, having suffered dozens of injuries, including human bite marks, iron burns and fractures. Sara's dad, Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, were all arrested and later found guilty of carrying out the abuse which led to her death.
Sharif was given a minimum term of 40 years and Batool was handed a minimum term of 33 years. Sara's uncle Malik 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, 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.
