The Solicitor General has called child murderer Urfan Sharif’s prison sentence ‘unduly lenient’ and requested a review. Sharif was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years in December for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter Sara, who suffered ‘unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety’ in the lead-up to her death.
Image Credit: Metro [BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated handout custody file photo issued by Surrey Police of Urfan Sharif, father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was jailed for life for her murder last month with minimum term of 40 years. The Solicitor General has decided to appeal against the murder sentence handed to Sara Sharif's father on the grounds it is "unduly lenient". Issue date: Monday January 20, 2025. PA Photo. 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. See PA story COURTS Woking . Photo credit should read: Surrey Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.]
Sara was found dead in a bunk bed in her home in Woking, Surrey, in August 2023 after Sharif, 42, called 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 – but this was ‘the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture’, Mr Justice Cavanagh said during sentencing.
Image Credit: Metro [BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated handout file photo issued by Surrey Police of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, whose father Urfan Sharif, 43, was jailed for life for her murder last month with a minimum term of 40 years. The Solicitor General has decided to appeal against the murder sentence handed to Sara Sharif's father on the grounds it is "unduly lenient". Issue date: Monday January 20, 2025. PA Photo. 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. See PA story COURTS Woking. Photo credit should read: Surrey Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.]
Now the Solicitor General has referred Sharif’s sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it was ‘unduly lenient’. It comes as Sharif, as well as Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik, have all made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appeal against their sentences.
Image Credit: Metro [This undated handout photo issued by Surrey Police shows 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Sara Sharif's father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of the 10-year-old's murder. Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death. (Surrey Police via AP)]
Batool, 30, was also convicted of murdering Sara and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years, while 29-year-old Malik was jailed for 16 years for causing or allowing the death of a child. 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.
Image Credit: Metro [Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of (left to right) Sara Sharif's stepmother Beinash Batool, uncle Faisal Malik and father Urfan Sharif appearing for sentencing for the 10-year-old's death, at the Old Bailey in London. Sharif and Batool have been jailed for life at the Old Bailey for her murder, with a minimum term of 40 years and 33 years respectively. Malik was jailed for 16 years. Picture date: Tuesday December 17, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Woking. Photo credit should read: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire]
![[This undated handout photo issued by Surrey Police shows 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Sara Sharif's father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of the 10-year-old's murder. Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death. (Surrey Police via AP)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_233559033-ca68.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of (left to right) Sara Sharif's stepmother Beinash Batool, uncle Faisal Malik and father Urfan Sharif appearing for sentencing for the 10-year-old's death, at the Old Bailey in London. Sharif and Batool have been jailed for life at the Old Bailey for her murder, with a minimum term of 40 years and 33 years respectively. Malik was jailed for 16 years. Picture date: Tuesday December 17, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Woking. Photo credit should read: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_233560606-0de3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
