A court in Pakistan has granted guardianship of Sara Sharif's five siblings to their paternal grandfather, Muhammed Sharif. The ruling concludes a period of legal proceedings concerning the children, who were taken to Pakistan by their father and stepmother after Sara's death.
Sara Sharif, aged 10, was found dead in her family home in Woking, Surrey, on August 10, 2023. An investigation revealed she had suffered more than 100 injuries, including being beaten with a cricket bat and metal pole, strangled, burnt, and bitten. A judge described the abuse as the worst crime he had ever encountered.
Following Sara's murder, her father, Urfan Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool, and Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, fled to Pakistan with the five other children. Urfan Sharif later contacted emergency services to confess to the killing but was apprehended upon his return to the UK with Batool on September 13, 2023. Both were subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Malik was convicted of causing or allowing Sara's death and received a 16-year sentence.
The five siblings, aged between four and 16, were located at their grandfather's home in Jhelum, Pakistan, on September 11, 2023. They were initially placed in a childcare facility before being placed in their grandfather's temporary custody in October 2023. The children have expressed their comfort and settlement in Pakistan, with all but the youngest attending school there.
Muhammed Sharif has stated his commitment to providing the children with the best possible education and care, aiming to help them return to a normal life. It is understood that the siblings will retain their British passports.
This development comes after Surrey County Council's unsuccessful attempt to have the children, who had been made wards of court in England, returned. An inquest into Sara's death is scheduled for October of the following year, aiming to examine the knowledge and actions of state agencies prior to her murder. A report detailing prior abuse allegations against Urfan Sharif, which was reportedly hidden due to data protection concerns, highlighted missed opportunities by social services to safeguard Sara.