The killers of schoolgirl Sara Sharif have been sentenced today at the Old Bailey in London after subjecting the 10-year-old to a regime of abuse that ultimately ended in her death.
At a sentencing hearing today, presiding judge Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara – who was born to a Polish mother – was subjected to “torture” by her Pakistani father, Urfan Sharif (43), and Beinash Batool (30), her stepmother.
Urfan Sharif received a 40-year minimum life sentence for murder, while Beinash Batool received a 33 year murder sentence for her role in Sara’s death.
Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, (29), was also jailed for 16 years for causing or allowing the death of a child, but was found not guilty of murder
Describing the campaign of abuse the girl suffered, Mr. Jusitce Cavanagh said, “Sara’s death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults, and what can only be described as torture of this small child, mainly but not entirely at the hands of you, her father, Urfan Sharif”,
“The degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable.” he added.
The judge’s remarks lasted well over an hour with him saying, “The courts of the Old Bailey are witness to many accounts of awful crimes, but few are more terrible than the account of the despicable treatment of this poor child the jury in this case have had to endure.” he said.
Details of the abuse Sara, who was described as being bitten, burned, multiple broken bones across her body, as well as evidence that she had been put under a hood and tied up for long periods of time during the last months of her life.
As Gript previously reported, in spite of the abuse she endured Sara she was described by her head teacher as “very smiley, full of energy and life” and “an absolute chatterbox” who loved to sign and take care of the other children.
Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, described her daughter’s killers as “sadists”, adding “even this word is not enough for you, I would say you are executionists.”
During the eight week trial, the court heard that Sara has been forced to wear a hijab in order to hide injuries on her body and that she had been the target of the abuse because she was a stepchild and a girl.
Domin told the Old Bailey that she now wished to give Sara “a beautiful Catholic funeral” which she “deserves”.
“She is now an angel who looks down on us from heaven.” she said.