The dark and chilling murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif sent shockwaves worldwide, sparking outrage against her father, Ufran Sharif, who confessed to brutally killing his young daughter.
But the story doesn’t end with the “campaign of torture” that led to Sara’s death. The details of the tragedy are deeply disturbing.
Behind bars, “word quickly got round about who [Ufran] was,” and the “sadistic” child killer was ambushed by fellow inmates, taking justice into their own hands.
On August 8, 2023, the world was left heartbroken as headlines revealed the story of Sara Sharif, a bright and loving 10-year-old girl.
The young girl “was hooded, burned and beaten during a ‘campaign of torture’ that lasted two years before her body was found at the family home in Woking, Surrey,” according to the BBC.
When police arrived, they found Sara in a bunkbed along with a confession letter in her father’s handwriting: “Whoever see this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating. I am running away because I am scared.”
He added that he would “be back before the postmortem” and wrote, “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
Shockingly, Sara’s father and two other family members fled to Pakistan the day before her body was discovered.
After a weekslong international manhunt, Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, her father, 42, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were charged in connection with her horrific killing.
‘She died because of me’
Courts heard that Sara had more than 70 injuries, including damage to her ribs, shoulder blades, fingers, and 11 fractures to her spine, a puncture wound to the head, traumatic brain injury, a burn on her buttock caused by a domestic iron, and human bite marks.
While the trio initially denied involvement, Urfan later admitted in court, “she died because of me.”
On December 17, 2024, Sharif was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years, and Batool received life with a minimum of 33 years. During sentencing, Mr. Justice Cavanagh described their actions as “a campaign of torture” and said “the degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable.” Malik was sentenced to 16 years for causing or allowing the death of a child.
Sara’s birth mother, Olga Domin, issued a statement read in court, calling the three suspects “sadists” and adding, “Although even this word is not enough for you. I would say you are executioners.”
Addressing her daughter, she said, “She is now an angel who looks down on us from heaven. She is no longer experiencing violence.”
The inmate code
Upon entering prison, Sharif faced the harsh reality of life among hardened criminals. Inmates often operate under a strict code that despises crimes against children.
Urfan’s reputation as a child murderer made him a marked man, and news of his crime spread quickly within the prison.
A source told the Sun that since arriving at South London’s HMP Belmarsh, “Sharif has tried to keep his head down. But word quickly got round about who he was…Inmates were not happy he is in there with them, and although the other prisoners are in for heinous crimes, a lot of them don’t like people who attack children.”
On New Year’s Day, only weeks into his life sentence, two prisoners who “were sickened by his abuse of Sara” ambushed Urfan with a jagged tuna can lid.
“Urfan was sliced up badly in his cell by two others who rushed in. It was planned, and they used a makeshift weapon — made from the lid of a tin of tuna. He was sliced in the neck and face and is still in healthcare and in a very bad way,” an insider told the publication.
“He was lucky to survive, has had to have stitches, and will have scars as a permanent reminder of the attack. The guards tried to keep him safe because he obviously had a target on his back after the case was such big news.”
The source added, “Something like this was always on the cards, and an attack was probably only a matter of time…A lot of them are saying how it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.”
Recent reports suggest one of Ufran’s attackers is inmate Steve Sansom, serving life for murdering and dismembering Sarah Mayhew, 38, in 2024. In 1999, Sansom was also convicted for the murder of cab driver Terrence Boyle, 59.
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