Sara Sharif’s killer father's life sentence to officially be reassessed for being 'unduly lenient'
21 January 2025, 06:03
The Solicitor General will appeal against the murder sentence handed to Sara Sharif's father on the grounds it is "unduly lenient".
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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.
The Old Bailey heard how Sara had been hooded, burned and beaten during more than two years of abuse.
Sara’s brutal father Urfan Sharif, 43, was handed a life sentence last month, with a minimum term of 40 years.
Her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, was also found guilty of murdering the child and will spend 33 years behind bars.
Sharif’s sentence has now been branded “unduly lenient” by the Solicitor General, who will appeal to have it increased.
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.
"It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence."
Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years.
The Solicitor General's appeal bid comes after Sharif, Batool and Malik all made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appealing against their sentences, it is understood.
Calls have also been made to name three judges who oversaw historical family court cases related to Sara, as well as others including social workers and guardians.
Sara was found dead in a bunkbed at her home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10 2023, after her father rang 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.
Within hours of Sara's death, Sharif and Batool had booked flights to Pakistan for the whole family, including her five siblings and half siblings.
The defendants returned to the UK on September 13 2023, leaving the children behind, and were detained within minutes of a flight touching down at Gatwick Airport.
In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey last month, Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara's death "was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture", mainly at the hands of Sharif.
He told Sharif: "You treated her in such a way because you considered it your right to impose harsh discipline on her.
"Sara was a brave, feisty and spirited child. She was not submissive as you wanted her to be. She stood up to you.
"I have no doubt that your ego and sense of self-importance was boosted by the power you wielded over her and the rest of the family."
Batool was prepared to "sacrifice" her stepdaughter, the judge said, adding: "Put bluntly, you did not care about Sara enough to save her."
He dismissed as "preposterous" any suggestion that Malik was too busy on his phone and wearing earbuds to notice what was going on.
Sharif was allegedly attacked by two inmates in a cell at HMP Belmarsh, armed with the jagged lid of a tuna tin, on New Year's Day, and suffered cuts to his neck and face, The Sun reported.
