Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother have lost their appeals to reduce their prison sentences for the brutal murder of the 10-year-old girl. However, an appeal judge ruled that her father, Urfan Sharif, should not receive a whole-life tariff.
Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were sentenced in December last year to life imprisonment, with minimum terms of 40 and 33 years respectively, after being found guilty of Sara’s murder. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, who was convicted of causing or allowing her death, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The tragic case came to light when Sara was found dead in her bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in August 2023. Evidence presented in court detailed the extensive suffering Sara endured, including 71 separate injuries, broken bones, burns, and human bite marks, inflicted over a sustained period.
During an appeal hearing at the Court of Appeal, all three individuals sought reductions in their sentences, but these appeals were firmly rejected. Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr dismissed Urfan Sharif’s appeal, stating there was “no arguable basis to challenge the conclusion of the trial judge.”
However, Baroness Carr also declined a request from the Solicitor General to upgrade Sharif’s sentence to a whole-life term. Despite describing the crime as a “truly awful case,” she indicated that whole-life orders are a measure of “last resort” and supported the original sentencing judge’s decision.
Prosecutors described Sara’s treatment as an extended “regime of terror,” including assaults with a cricket bat, metal pole, and iron.
The ruling upholds the lengthy sentences, ensuring that the perpetrators remain imprisoned for decades to come.
