Sara Sharif's mother says murderers are 'sadists'

The mother of Sara Sharif yesterday called her daughter's murderers "sadists and executioners" as they were jailed for life.

- Emine Sinmaz

Olga Domin joined the Old Bailey hearing remotely as Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, were sentenced for killing the schoolgirl.

The judge, Mr Justice Cavanagh, yesterday described the campaign of abuse meted out on Sara as "torture" as he condemned the defendants for not showing "a shred of remorse". His voice shook as he described some of the injuries suffered by Sara, who was "trussed up" with masking tape and a skipping rope and hooded with plastic bags, saying: "This treatment of a 10-year-old child is nothing short of gruesome." Had she lived, he said, one of her burns would have caused permanent disfigurement.

Sharif and Batool were found guilty last Wednesday of Sara's murder after an eight-week trial at the Old Bailey.

Sara's paternal uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who was living with the family at the time, was found not guilty of murder but was convicted of causing or allowing her death.

Cavanagh sentenced Sharif to a minimum term of 40 years and Batool to a minimum term of 33 years. Malik was jailed for 16 years.

The judge said: "Sara's death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as the torture of this small child, mainly, but not entirely, at the hands of you, her father, Urfan Sharif.

"The degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable. This happened in plain sight, in front of the rest of the family, including, for the last eight months of Sara's life, in front of you, Faisal Malik.