Sara Sharif's killers in sentence appeal bid

The father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif are seeking permission to appeal against their sentences for her murder.

Sara was hooded, burned and beaten during more than two years of abuse before her body was found at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in 2023.

Her father Urfan Sharif, 43, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, were sentenced to life in prison following a trial at the Old Bailey last year.

Sharif must serve a minimum of 40 years in prison before he is to be considered for release, while Batool received a minimum of 33 years.

Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was also sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment for causing or allowing her death.

Court officials have confirmed to the BBC that Sharif, Batool and Malik have all lodged applications for leave to appeal against their sentences at the Court of Appeal.

In the cases of Sharif and Batool, the life sentence was automatic, so the pair are to appeal against the minimum terms they would spend in prison.

A hearing date for the appeals has not yet been set.

The trial heard how a post-mortem examination found Sara had suffered injuries including six probable human bite marks, an iron burn and scalding from hot water before she died on 8 August last year.

Next to Sara's body, which was found by police in a bunkbed, was a note in her father's handwriting which read: "Whoever see this note, it's me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating."

Sharif initially claimed that Batool was responsible for Sara's death, and told the jury he had made a false confession in the note and a subsequent phone call in order to protect his wife.

However, in a dramatic U-turn under cross-examination, Sharif later accepted "full responsibility" for his daughter's death.

Sara had more than 70 new external injuries when her body was found by police, including 11 fractures to her spine and signs of a traumatic brain injury.

Sharif, Batool and Malik fled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with Sara's five siblings on 9 August 2023, the day before her body was found.

From Pakistan, Sharif called police in England and told the operator that he "legally punished" Sara and she died.

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