LONDON – A London court has found the father and stepmother guilty in the murder case of 10-year-old Sarah Sharif.
According to British media, during a four-day hearing, the father, of Pakistani descent, withdrew his previous statement and admitted to the abuse of Sarah.
Sarah’s father confessed that his stepmother had been repeatedly beating the 10-year-old for several weeks.
Irfan Sharif, the father, further stated that it was due to the stepmother’s brutal violence that Sarah died. He added, “This happened because of me.”
After the confession, the court stated that this was a domestic violence case, involving a family where child abuse was seen as acceptable.
The judge remarked that the innocent 10-year-old girl had likely been living in this hell for some time, enduring daily abuse.
The jury delivered the verdict, finding Sarah’s father Irfan Sharif, stepmother Banish Batool, and uncle Faisal Malik guilty in her murder.
The court’s ruling stated that Faisal Malik, the uncle, could have intervened to stop the abuse but failed to take this responsibility.
The judge further expressed regret that the three criminals left for Pakistan after seeing the child die.
