Sara Sharif's killer parents show no reaction as they're jailed for murdering 10-year-old
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The parents of Sara Sharif gave a telling reaction when they were jailed for murdering the schoolgirl. Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, didn't show a "shred of remorse" for their crimes, the judge said during sentencing on Tuesday. The pair were jailed for life after the 10-year-old was subjected to "unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety" before her death.
Sharif was handed a minimum term of 40 years and Batool was given a minimum of 33 years. Malik, who was found guilty of causing or allowing her death, was jailed for 16 years. A member of the jury cheered after Sara's cruel father was slapped with his life sentence. He tilted his head down at the floor and avoided eye contact with the judge before he was hauled to his cell. Batool seemed like she was about to shed a tear, but displayed no other reaction and looked down. The three defendants were led out of the dock and down to the cells to begin their long prison sentences.
Sara was found lifeless with multiple injuries on her bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 last year. The court heard how she endured cruel beatings and was bitten and burnt. Sharif and Batool fled to Pakistan after she died. Police launched an international manhunt through Interpol and they eventually returned to the UK.
Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara was treated “as if she was worthless” and that neither her father or stepmother had “any concern for her happiness”. Sara had been “singled out” for abuse among her siblings by Sharif and Batool because she was a girl and not Batool’s “natural child”.
