“Angelic” schoolgirl Sara Sharif endured unthinkable torture at the hands of her family before her death at just 10-years-old.
It has now been revealed that her father, Urfan Sharif, had a history of violence against children that dated back to before she was even born, leading many to urgently question why little Sara remained in his care. This week, taxi driver Sharif, 42, was found guilty of Sara’s murder alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30. Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was also found guilty of causing or allowing the child’s death, in a case that has prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand answers.
The little girl, remembered as a “unique character” with a “beautiful smile and loud laugh” by her bereaved mother Olga Domin, was found dead in a bunk bed at her family home in Woking on August 10, 2023. By this point, Sharif, Batool, and Malik had already fled to Pakistan.
Sara’s lifeless body bore the marks of a harrowing series of injuries sustained over the course of two agonising years. The little girl had been bitten, burned with an iron, and beaten so ferociously that she suffered 25 broken bones.
Her injuries, likened to having been “kicked by a horse” by medical experts, were concealed by her family members, who pulled her out of school after teachers began noticing suspicious bruises. Long before he beat his “lovely, bubbly” daughter to death, Sharif was known to social services and had faced serious allegations of child abuse.
Sharif married Sara’s Polish mother, Olga, in 2009 after moving to the UK from Pakistan as a student. LBC reports that police officers were involved with the family on four occasions between 2010 and 2012, while Surrey County Council children’s services were in contact from 2010 after concerns were raised about one of Sara’s siblings, known only as ‘Z’.
During hearings which took place shortly before Sara’s birth, the family court in Surrey heard how “Z” was found alone in a shop in 2010 when they were just three years old. Later that same year, Sharif was arrested for assaulting Olga, leaving a handprint on “Z’s” back during the altercation.
Social workers noted “unexplained injuries” to “Z” and another sibling, referred to in court as “U”. Further allegations of assaults against the children were made, and all were denied.
The Guardian reports that following her birth at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough on January 11, 2013, Sara was placed under a child protection plan at birth after Sharif was accused of attacking three women, including Olga. He was also accused of hitting and biting children. Despite this, it was determined that Sara could remain with her father.
The care order meant the local authority had legal responsibility for Sara, “Z”, and “U”, with social workers paying frequent visits. It was during one of these visits that social workers determined the children didn’t have bedding or lightbulbs in their bedrooms. On February 22, 2013, when Sara was a little over a month old, social services and police were informed that Sharif had slapped a child around the face.
In May of that year, a social worker noticed a burn mark on a child’s leg, which Sharif claimed was due to a BBQ accident. This incident was not reported, in breach of an agreement made with social services. Five months after this incident, a child was seen with a burn mark from a domestic iron. This time, Sharif told social services that the child in question had knocked into the iron.
Sara was taken into foster care for a short period of time in November 2014, after “Z” claimed they’d been “pinched and punched” by Sharif. Foster carers noticed what appeared to be cigarette burns on both Sara and “U”, however, their parents dismissed these marks as chicken pox scars.
The following month, a child told a social worker they didn’t like Sharif as he punched them and left them with bruises. Sharif was reported to social services in January 2015 for waving a knife around in the family home in what he described as a “zombie game”. Social workers also noted that Sharif hit and kicked Olga at home and that the couple had threatened to kill each other.
In another incident in February 2015, a child told their foster carer that Sharif had hit them on the backside using a belt, while in September of that year, a child was heard telling Sharif: “When you’re at home, you hit and kick me every day.”
That same year, Olga told social services that Sharif had tightened a belt around her neck. It was around this time that social workers complained that Sharif had shown coercive and derogatory behaviour towards them, leading to the appointment of a male social worker.
In December 2015, a child told a social worker that they didn’t like Sharif as he punched them all over their body and gave them lots of bruises. Social workers also noticed that Sara flinched when Sharif told her off during supervised contact and that she appeared surprised when he cuddled her.
Also in 2015, amid a care proceedings hearing, Olga accused Sharif of exhibiting controlling and violent behaviour towards her and their children. Although these allegations were never tested in court, Sharif did agree to attend a domestic violence course. In October 2019, Sharif applied for custody of Sara at the Guildford family court. Surrey County Council supported Sara’s preference to return to her father rather than her mother.
In June 2022, Sara’s teacher used the school’s online child protection monitoring service to report a bruise they’d noticed under her eye. Sara initially would not reveal how she’d gotten the bruise, later saying that another child had hit her. No referral was made to social services.
In March 2023, Sara claimed she’d fallen over on rollerskates after a teacher noticed more bruises on her face before giving a different account to a safeguarding lead. A referral was made to social services but, six days later, it was decided no further action would be taken. Social services had categorised the case as the second highest priority, asking other agencies for information. However, when nothing came back, the case was closed.
That same month, a report was logged on the school’s internal system after Batool overheard referring to children as “motherf***er, sister f***er, b**** and whore” in the playground. However, no details were passed on to social services.
On March 28, 2023, Batool claimed a mark on Sara’s face had been caused by a pen, with a teacher informing the school safeguarding lead. On April 17, 2023, Sharif took Sara out of school to homeschool her instead. After ringing the council for advice, staff were told they should make a referral if they had any concerns. Later that day, Sara appeared fine at school pick-up, and so the staff decided against making a referral. This was to be the last time she was seen alive outside the family home.
A local safeguarding review will now be carried out to examine any missed opportunities, looking into whether more could have been done to save Sara before it was too late. Following this week’s convictions, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel told The Sun: “Her death is a heartbreaking reminder of the profound weaknesses in our child protection system that, as a country, we have failed time and time again to correct. We have been here before — and each time we have said ‘never again’. Sara’s death must also bring about an immediate shift in how we protect children like her.”
Meanwhile, Rachael Wardell, executive director for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning at Surrey County Council, stated: “We are resolute in our commitment to protecting children, and we are determined to play a full and active part in the forthcoming review alongside partner agencies, to thoroughly understand the wider circumstances surrounding Sara’s tragic death.”
Maria Neophytou, acting Chief Executive of the NSPCC, yesterday released the following statement: “Sara Sharif was repeatedly assaulted and tortured before being finally murdered by her father and step-mother in what was an absolutely shocking case of brutal and prolonged abuse. Her uncle was aware of the horrors she was being subjected to but did nothing to save her. Our thoughts go out to all those who loved and cared for Sara in a life that was marked by so much pain and suffering.
“What this little girl endured over several years raises crucial questions about what more could have been done to protect her and important issues regarding child safeguarding. It is vital that the Child Safeguarding Practice Review identifies any ways in which Sara could have been better protected, in an effort to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.
“This terrible case has also highlighted the ambiguity of the current legal position in England around the physical punishment of children. It is disturbing that Urfan Sharif believed – and told police – that he ‘did legally punish’ Sara for being naughty. Politicians at Westminster must move swiftly to abolish the defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ and give children the same protection from assault as adults.
“Families, professionals, and individuals can also all work to protect children by reporting any concerns, no matter how small, to the local authorities, the police, or the NSPCC Helpline. If a child is in immediate danger, always call emergency services on 999.”
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