Father, step-mum found guilty of murdering 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl
- 5 hours ago
The father and stepmother of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl were found guilty on Wednesday of her murder in a gruesome case of child abuse that has shocked the UK.
Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were convicted of Sara Sharif's murder by a London court. The girl was found dead at her home last year, having suffered extensive injuries including broken bones, burns and bite marks. Sara's uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
Sharif was found dead in August 2023 at her home in Woking, a town southwest of London, after what prosecutors say was a campaign of "serious and repeated violence".
The family fled to Pakistan immediately after Sara Sharif was killed, before they were arrested in September 2023 at London's Gatwick airport after flying from Dubai.
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors at the start of the trial that Sara had suffered a litany of injuries, including burns, broken bones and bite marks.
Sara's father Urfan Sharif, 43, and his wife Beinash Batool, 30, stood trial at London's Old Bailey court charged with her murder, which they denied.
The jury convicted Urfan Sharif and Batool of Sara's murder. Sara's uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing Sara's death.
Sharif and Batool will be sentenced on Dec.17.
Emlyn Jones told jurors at the start of the trial that Urfan Sharif had called police and said: "It wasn't my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much."
Sharif gave evidence and initially denied responsibility for Sara's death. He accepted slapping Sara to discipline her, but denied beating her in a regular or sustained way. But Urfan Sharif, under questioning from Batool's lawyer Caroline Carberry, later said he took "full responsibility" for his daughter's death.
Lawyers for Batool, who did not give evidence, said Urfan Sharif was violent and controlling and that she was scared of him.
Agencies
