The horrifying murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif sent shockwaves worldwide, igniting widespread outrage against her father, Urfan Sharif, who admitted to brutally killing his daughter.
The tragedy, however, didn’t end with Sara’s death. The details are deeply disturbing.
Once behind bars, news of Sharif’s crime spread quickly, and the “sadistic” child killer was ambushed by fellow inmates seeking their own form of justice.
Sara’s story made headlines on August 8, 2023. The bright and loving girl “was hooded, burned, and beaten during a ‘campaign of torture’ lasting two years before her body was discovered at the family home in Woking, Surrey,” according to the BBC.
Authorities found Sara in a bunk bed alongside a confession letter in her father’s handwriting: “Whoever sees 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 claimed, “I swear to God that my intention was not to kill her. But I lost it.”
Shockingly, Urfan and two family members fled to Pakistan the day before Sara’s body was found. After an international search, her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, her father, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, were charged.
Sara had over 70 injuries, including damage to ribs, shoulder blades, fingers, 11 spinal fractures, a puncture wound to the head, traumatic brain injury, a burn on her buttock from an iron, and human bite marks. Initially denying involvement, Urfan later admitted in court: “She died because of me.”
On December 17, 2024, Urfan received a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years; Batool was given life with at least 33 years; Malik received 16 years. The judge described their actions as “a campaign of torture” of almost unimaginable cruelty. Sara’s birth mother, Olga Domin, called them “sadists… executioners” and said her daughter is now “an angel who looks down on us from heaven.”
Prison life presented Sharif with a harsh reality. Many inmates live by a code that despises crimes against children. Sharif’s notoriety made him a target.
A source told The Sun that at HMP Belmarsh, “Sharif tried to keep his head down… but word quickly got round about who he was. Inmates were not happy he was there with them. Even though many were in for heinous crimes, they dislike people who attack children.”
On New Year’s Day, only weeks into his sentence, two prisoners ambushed Urfan with a jagged tuna can lid, slicing his neck and face. He survived but required stitches and will carry permanent scars. Guards had to intervene due to the high-profile nature of his crime. The source added, “Something like this was always on the cards… many say it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.”
Reports suggest one of the attackers may have been Steve Sansom, serving life for murdering and dismembering Sarah Mayhew in 2024 and previously convicted of killing cab driver Terrence Boyle in 1999.