Murder of Sara Sharif

Sara Sharif, aged 10, was murdered by her father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool on 8 August 2023. Her body was discovered in her family's residence in Woking, Surrey, England, two days later. An autopsy revealed that she had been regularly and severely abused. Urfan and Beinash, and Urfan's brother, Faisal Malik, fled to Pakistan on 9 August. Upon arriving, Urfan called Surrey police and reported Sara's death. After an international manhunt was launched, the three were arrested on 13 September at Gatwick Airport after voluntarily flying back to the UK.

On 11 December 2024, Urfan and Beinash were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Faisal was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and was sentenced to 16 years. On 1 January 2025, Urfan was attacked in prison, sustaining injuries to his face and neck. In January 2025, the Solicitor General's office referred the case to the Court of Appeal, requesting an increase in Urfan's sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, while Urfan and Beinash petitioned the Court of Appeal for a reduction in their sentences; both appeals were denied.

Sara's murder was widely reported for severity of the abuse she had endured, raising questions of why authorities had failed to protect her. The prime minister Keir Starmer commented, calling the case "awful" and said that the government would learn from her death. Will Forster, representing Woking in Parliament, proposed an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill titled "Sara's Law", which would facilitate increased communication between social services and schools. Provided by Wikipedia