In a harrowing case at the Old Bailey, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were found guilty of murdering their 10-year-old daughter Sara Sharif, who endured over two years of systematic abuse before her death in August 2023.
Verdict and Guilty Parties
The murder trial of Sara Sharif concluded with three family members receiving guilty verdicts at the Old Bailey court in London.
Her father, Urfan Sharif (43), and stepmother Beinash Batool (30) were convicted of murder, while her uncle Faisal Malik (29) was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
Justice Cavanagh noted this case’s exceptional nature, describing it as particularly “stressful and traumatic” during the proceedings. Upon hearing the verdict, Sharif showed no reaction, while Batool and Malik were seen crying as they left the dock. The sentencing phase is scheduled for next week, where the convicted family members will learn their final punishment for their roles in Sara’s death.
Pattern of Severe Physical Abuse
The physical abuse Sara endured revealed a disturbing pattern of escalating violence over two years.
Medical examiners documented more than 70 fresh external injuries across Sara’s body, including 11 fractures to her spine and signs of traumatic brain injury.
The abuse included burns from a domestic iron on her buttocks, six probable human bite marks, and various other injuries that pointed to prolonged torture.
While Batool refused to provide dental impressions, forensic analysis ruled out the male defendants as the source of the bite marks found on Sara’s body. These injuries painted a clear picture of the systematic abuse that ultimately led to Sara’s death.
Critical Evidence at the Crime Scene
Police discovered Sara’s body in a bunkbed at the family’s Woking home, alongside a handwritten confession note from her father.
Near the family’s outhouse, investigators found crucial evidence including a bloodstained cricket bat, a rolling pin with Sara’s DNA, a metal pole, a belt, and rope – all items consistent with the injuries found on her body.
The most damning piece of evidence was the note in Urfan Sharif’s handwriting, tucked under a pillow, which read: “Whoever see this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating.” These items, combined with the physical evidence on Sara’s body, created a clear timeline of the abuse that took place at the crime scene.
Flight to Pakistan and Confession
On August 9, 2023, just one day after Sara’s death, Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool, and Faisal Malik fled to Islamabad, Pakistan, taking Sara’s siblings with them.
Within an hour of landing in Pakistan, Sharif made an eight-minute call to Surrey Police, confessing to killing Sara. During this call, he admitted to “legally punishing her” and stated, “It wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.”
Later, during the trial, Sharif made an unexpected admission, taking “full responsibility” for Sara’s death and confirming the truth of both his phone call and written note. However, he continued to deny intentionally killing Sara and refused to change his plea, creating a complex web of admissions and denials that would shape the trial’s outcome.
School’s Observations and Withdrawal
Sara’s primary school recorded multiple concerning injuries throughout her final year of attendance, including a bruise under her left eye in June 2022 and marks on her chin and right eye in March 2023.
When questioned about these injuries, Sara gave different and conflicting explanations each time. By January 2023, she began wearing a hijab, which staff later realized was being used to hide facial injuries.
The situation reached a critical point in April 2023 when Sara was suddenly withdrawn from school for home education, just four months before her death. This withdrawal effectively removed her from the watchful eyes of school staff who had been documenting the signs of abuse.
Neighbors’ Accounts of Abuse
Residents living near the family’s previous address in West Byfleet provided crucial testimony about the ongoing abuse they witnessed through sound.
One neighbor described hearing “shockingly loud” smacking sounds, followed by “gut-wrenching screams” of young female children coming from the house.
The court heard that these distressing sounds occurred regularly, with multiple neighbors confirming the pattern of abuse that echoed through the walls of their West Byfleet home, providing additional evidence of the sustained mistreatment that took place before the family’s move to Woking.
Father’s Testimony and Trial Revelations
During the trial, Urfan Sharif initially claimed he found Sara with Batool on August 8, claiming his wife told him the girl had fallen down stairs while playing.
His testimony took a dramatic turn when he admitted to hitting Sara with a pole twice in the stomach for “pretending” to be hurt, then attempting CPR for ten minutes before Batool told him to stop, saying “There’s no need because she’s dead.”
Though Sharif eventually accepted “full responsibility” for Sara’s death during cross-examination, his story shifted multiple times throughout the trial.
He denied the biting and burning injuries, retracted his earlier claims about Batool being a “psycho,” but maintained his stance that he never intended to kill his daughter, despite the physical evidence and his earlier confessions suggesting a pattern of severe abuse.
