Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool had sought permission to appeal against their sentences for the murder of Sara Sharif, who was hooded, burned and beaten amid her horrific abuse
The sentence handed to Sara Sharif’s dad for the murder of the tragic 10-year-old girl was “unduly lenient,” according to the Solicitor General.
The case has now been referred to the Court of Appeal, which will decide whether to increase’s Urfan Sharif’s 40-year jail term. He and Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool had sought permission to appeal against their sentences, which they received last month at the Old Bailey.
But 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.”
It is thought Batool’s sentence – life with a minimum term of 33 years – hasn’t been referred to the Court of Appeal. Both she and Sharif were convicted of murder following a trial, which was told Sara was hooded, burned and beaten amid her horrific abuse.
The youngster suffered “unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety” during the abuse, which lasted two years, at the family home in Woking, Surrey. Her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years last month.
Sara was found dead in a bunk bed at her home 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.”
