United Kingdom’s Solicitor General is set to appeal against the life sentence handed down to Sara Sharif’s father.
Urfan Sharif and Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, were given life imprisonment last month for inflicting years of cruel abuse and “horrific torture” that led to the death of the 10-year-old girl.
Urfan received a minimum sentence of 40 years, while Batool was given 33 years. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was also convicted of causing or permitting her death and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Solicitor General Lucy Rigby has referred Urfan’s sentence to the Court of Appeal as it was “unduly lenient”, with a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office saying: “It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”
Sara endured over two years of severe abuse, including being hooded, burned, and beaten, before her body was discovered at her family’s residence in Woking, Surrey, in 2023.
The solicitor general’s move comes after it emerged last week that the deceased girl’s father and stepmother were seeking permission to appeal against their minimum sentences.
Apart from the couple, the uncle is also mulling appealing his punishment. However, no court date has yet been set for the appeals.
