Two prisoners have been charged with the attempted murder of Urfan Sharif, an inmate serving a life sentence for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter, Sara Sharif. The Crown Prosecution Service announced that Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, face charges related to an incident that occurred at Belmarsh Prison on January 1, 2025.
Sansom and Watson are also charged with additional offenses stemming from the incident. They are scheduled to make their first appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court on August 26. Sharif reportedly sustained cuts to his face during the altercation and received medical treatment within the prison.
Urfan Sharif, along with Sara's stepmother Beinash Batool, was convicted of murdering Sara at their home in Woking, Surrey. During the trial, Justice Cavanagh described the cruelty involved as "almost inconceivable." Sara was subjected to a "campaign of torture" that included being hooded, burned, and beaten over two years before her body was discovered in August 2023. Urfan Sharif received a minimum sentence of 40 years for the murder, while Batool was sentenced to a minimum of 33 years. Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, was sentenced to 16 years for causing or allowing her death.
The trio fled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with Sara's five siblings the day before her body was found, leading to an international manhunt. They were apprehended after returning to the UK approximately four weeks later. The investigation and subsequent charges were the result of close collaboration between the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, according to Daren Streeter, deputy chief crown prosecutor at CPS London.