LONDON — The father and stepmother of a severely abused 10-year-old girl found dead in her British home were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for murder. Urfan Sharif, 42, and Baynash Batur, 30, were found guilty last week of murder in Sara Sharif’s death in what prosecutors called a “campaign of abuse”.
Sarah’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing the girl’s death. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
After Sarah’s death, the three fled to Pakistan, where Urfan Sharif told British police by phone that “we had legally punished Sarah and she died,” the prosecutor’s office said. He said he “beat her too hard” but did not intend to kill her.
Surrey Police/Handout via Reuters
London police then visited the family’s home and discovered Sarah’s body under a blanket on their bunk bed on August 10, 2023.
The three men returned to the UK more than a month after fleeing and were arrested on suspicion of murder.
The trial at the Central Criminal Court revealed horrifying details of the abuse, including more than 70 new wounds and a number of old injuries, including bruises, burns, broken bones and bite marks, prompting social services and authorities to intervene to treat her. Questions have been raised about the failure to protect the
Judge John Kavanagh said: “Sarah’s death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture.” “The level of brutality is almost unimaginable…None of you have shown an ounce of true remorse.”
Surrey Police/Handout via Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week called for stronger safeguards for home-educated children like Sarah, saying there were “questions to answer” after her murder. Sarah died several months after her father pulled her out of the state school to teach her at home after a teacher reported bruises on the girl to social services.
Britain’s Child Protection Agency investigated the report but took no action.
Mr Starmer said the lawsuit was “about ensuring that children, especially those who are being educated at home, have safeguards in place”.
