Sara Sharif “stood up for herself” and had an “unquenchable spirit”, a judge said as he sentenced the 10-year-old’s family members over her death.
The schoolgirl suffered “unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety” as she was repeatedly beaten, burned, bitten and restrained at home in Woking, Surrey, before she died, the court heard.
On Tuesday, her father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, were jailed for her murder with Sharif handed a minimum term of 40 years and Batool given 33 years.
In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, 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.
Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, who was found guilty of causing or allowing her death, was jailed for 16 years.
In his sentencing remarks, the judge paid tribute to the “beautiful little girl” who was “full of personality” and “adored” her younger brother.
He quoted a description of Sara from a teaching assistant at her primary school, who said she was a “bubbly, confident, chatty and engaging child” who was “a little feisty” and “wasn’t afraid to answer back”.
He also referenced a tribute from Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, in which she said her daughter was “always smiling” and “had a unique character”.
The judge continued: “It is clear that Sara stood up for herself and remained positive and cheerful in the most terrible circumstances.
“She was a very courageous little girl, with an unquenchable spirit. She loved to sing and dance.
“The jury was shown a video of Sara dancing in front of the TV a few days before she died.
“It is clear that, by this stage, her mobility was impaired, but, despite everything, she smiled at the camera.”
Addressing the defendants, Judge Cavanagh said pieces of writing done by Sara were “among the most heartbreaking pieces of evidence” in the case, including a birthday card addressed to her father which read “Happy Birthday Dad, I love you so much”.
The judge said Sara had written a short story in which she described her stepmother “as a queen who is ‘beautiful and young'” and a letter to Sharif and Batool where she had apologised for answering back, and wrote “‘please forgive me I am so sorry'”.
“The reality was that abuse which for anyone else would be exceptional had become normalised for this little girl. She had known nothing else for much of her life,” he added.
Addressing her father, Judge Cavanagh said: “Sara was a brave, feisty and spirited child. She was not submissive, as you wanted her to be. She stood up to you.”
He added that Sara “was not particularly badly behaved” and “never did anything that might conceivably have justified any part of the treatment that she endured”.
The judge’s voice shook as he described some of the injuries found on Sara’s body during the post-mortem examination, including two open burn wounds on her buttocks from an iron, a break in her hyoid neck bone, six human bite marks and a brain injury.
