Sara Sharif's father and stepmother found guilty of her murder

Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik, 29 was not found guilty of murder but has been found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.

The defendants will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Sara died on August 8, 2023 in Woking, Surrey. Her body was found two days later with dozens of injuries.

The Old Bailey previously heard the girl has been hooded, burned and beaten during the over two years of abuse.

During the trial, Urfan Sharif confessed to beating his daughter.

Beinash Batool refused to provide dental impressions for bite marks that were found on the girl.

Libby Clark from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Sara was a happy, outgoing and lively child described as always laughing, who was cruelly abused and murdered by those closest to her.

“None of us can imagine how appalling and brutal Sara’s treatment was in the last few weeks of her short life. The injuries inflicted on her were absolutely horrendous.

“After Sara died, instead of calling 999, the three defendants immediately made plans to flee the country, thinking only of themselves and not telling police Sara was dead until they had safely landed in Pakistan.

“We were able to build a strong case, showing where each defendant was in the weeks running up to Sara’s death using mobile phone evidence, CCTV sightings and work records.

“In a small house with such a big family, it would have been immediately obvious to all the adults what was happening to Sara. Yet none of them took any action to stop it or report it. They all played their part in the violence that led to her tragic death.

“This was a complex case with much liaison with foreign authorities and our CPS international unit played a significant role in helping us to prosecute this case successfully.

“We have today secured justice for Sara, a bubbly young girl, who was killed by the adults who should have protected her."

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Sara Sharif was killed by the people in her life that should have loved her the most – and they must now face the consequences of that terrible act.

“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’.

She also said after the verdicts in the Sara Sharif murder trial: “Sara’s death must also bring about an immediate shift in how we protect children like her.

Schools, so often the place where vulnerable children are identified and protected, must be made the fourth statutory safeguarding partners with the police, social care and health services.

“We need proper oversight of children being educated at home, through the long-promised register of children not in school and by requiring councils to sign off on home educating requests for some of the most vulnerable children.”

“There can be no doubt that Sara was failed in the starkest terms by the safety net of services around her."

Maria Neophytou, acting chief executive of the NSPCC said:

“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.”

Det Ch Insp Craig Emmerson has addressed the media outside the Old Bailey. He said Sara's death was "one of the most difficult cases" that Surrey Police has ever dealt with.

He added: “This case has shocked and horrified not only those who knew and loved her but people across the country and around the world.”

Judith Reed from the Crown Prosecution Service called this a "painstaking" operation by Surrey Police and the CPS to be able to prove to the jury that Sara's father and stepmother were responsible.