Urfan Sharif's murder sentence referred to the Court of Appeal

The Solicitor General has referred the murder sentence handed to Sara Sharif's father to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it was "unduly lenient."

The 10-year-old suffered "unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety" as she was abused at the family home in Woking, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.

Sara's father Urfan Sharif, 43, was jailed for life for her murder last month with minimum term of 40 years.

Her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, was also convicted of murdering Sara and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said: "The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby MP has referred Urfan Sharif's sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

"It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence."

The Solicitor General's bid comes after Sharif, Batool and Malik all made an application to the Court of Appeal with a view to appealing against their sentences, it is understood.

Calls have also been made to name three judges who oversaw historical family court cases related to Sara.

Sara was found dead in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, on August 10th 2023 after her father rang police from Pakistan to confess he had beaten her "too much".

Within hours of Sara's death, Sharif and Batool had booked flights to Pakistan for the whole family, including her five siblings and half siblings.

The defendants returned to the UK on September 13th 2023, leaving the children behind, and were detained within minutes of a flight touching down at Gatwick Airport.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey last month, Mr Justice Cavanagh said Sara's death "was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as torture", mainly at the hands of Sharif.”

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