 "10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Britain. AP File")
10-year-old Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif and her stepmother Beinash Batool have been sentenced to life for her murder, with a minimum term of 40 years and 33 years respectively, according to a BBC report.
Faisal Malik, Sara’s uncle, received a jail sentence of 16 years for causing or allowing the death of a child, added the report.
““Sara’s death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture,” The Associated Press quoted Justice John Cavanagh as saying.
“The degree of cruelty is almost inconceivable. … None of you have shown a shred of true remorse,” the judge added.
Sharif showed no reaction as he was sentenced, keeping his gaze lowered.
As the sentence was read, some clapping was heard from the public gallery, prompting the judge to request silence.
Batool appeared on the verge of tears, but aside from that, there was no further reaction from any of the defendants. Malik kept his head bowed, reported BBC.
The defendants were then escorted from the dock and taken to the cells to begin their lengthy prison terms.
Urfan Sharif, 42, and Beinash Batool, 30, were convicted of murder last week in her death in what prosecutors called a “campaign of abuse.” Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing the girl’s death.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAfter the girl died, the three fled to Pakistan, where Urfan Sharif phoned UK police to say he “legally punished her, and she died,” prosecutors said.
He said he “beat her up too much” but didn’t intend to kill her.
Police in London then went to the family’s home and discovered Sara’s body under a blanket in a bunk bed on August 10, 2023.
The three later returned to Britain more than a month after they fled and were arrested on suspicion of murder.
The trial in the Central Criminal Court exposed horrific details of abuse that included more than 70 fresh injuries and many older ones, including bruising, burns, fractures and bite marks and has raised questions about failures by social services and authorities to intervene and protect her.
With inputs from agencies