Father and stepmother of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in her home in Britain, have been found guilty of her murder after a trial which heard harrowing details of her treatment before her killing.. Sara endured what the court described as a “daily living hell”, subjected to months of slow torture by her father, Urfan Sharif, a 43-year-old labelled as a psychopath and a “controlling, violent bully”. On Wednesday, the London's Old Bailey convicted Sharif of murder after an eight-week trial. His wife, Beinash Batool, 30, was also found guilty of murder, while his brother, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing Sara’s death. Sharif held his head in his hands, and Batool wept as the jury delivered its verdicts after two days of deliberations, The Guardian reported. The judge, Justice Cavanagh, adjourned sentencing until the following Tuesday, acknowledging the extreme stress and trauma the case had caused jurors. “I know a murder trial is always stressful and traumatic, but this case, above almost any other, has been extraordinarily distressing,” he said as quoted by The Guardian. “You have performed your duty magnificently despite the harrowing evidence.” Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, paid tribute to her daughter, saying, “My dear Sara, I ask God to take care of my little girl. She was taken too soon. Sara’s smile could brighten the darkest room. She will always be in our hearts, and her laughter will bring warmth to our lives. We miss her so much. Love you, princess.” Sara was found dead on 10 August 2023, in a bunk bed at the family home in Surrey. Two days earlier, Sharif had fatally beaten her, then fled to Pakistan. He later called police, admitting he had punished her “too much” for being naughty. A handwritten note was left at the scene, stating: “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.” The family was arrested in September 2023 at London's Gatwick airport after flying from Dubai. A post-mortem revealed 71 external injuries, including bruises, burns, and bite marks, alongside 25 fractures, with 11 to her spine. Sharif admitted to binding Sara with packing tape and beating her with a cricket bat, metal pole, and mobile phone but denied burning her or inflicting other injuries. Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said Sharif had fostered a “culture of violent discipline,” where assaulting Sara became routine. The court heard she was “brutally mistreated, abused, and violently assaulted” over years. Despite repeated interactions with social services, police, and schools spanning 16 years, Sharif’s abuse went undetected. A local safeguarding review will examine potential failures and missed opportunities to protect Sara, who was home-schooled from April 2023. Caroline Carberry KC, representing Batool, described Sharif as a “manipulative, serial abuser of vulnerable women” and children. Sharif had been previously investigated for alleged assaults on children and women but was never charged due to insufficient evidence. Sharif and Batool will be sentenced on Dec. 17.
