Sara Sharif’s life: A history of abuse and systemic failures

On August 10 last year, at 2:47 AM, Surrey Police received a telephone call originating from Islamabad airport in Pakistan. The caller stated, sobbing audibly, “I’ve killed my daughter.” He continued, “It wasn’t my intention to kill her, but I beat her up too much.” The individual informed the police call handler that his only intention was to discipline her, adding, “I’m a cruel father.” The person who made the call was identified as Urfan Sharif. Following the conclusion of the call, PC George Van Der Wart arrived at the Sharif family residence in Woking and knocked on the door. Warning: This report includes explicit accounts of physical abuse. Inside a bedroom located at the top of the stairs, PC Van Der Wart discovered the body of Sharif’s 10-year-old daughter, Sara, on the lower bunk, beneath the bedding. Adjacent to the pillow, a handwritten note by Sharif was found, stating that he had beaten and killed his daughter. The note read, “I lost it.” Autopsy results indicated that Sara’s death resulted from a combination of injuries and neglect. Her body exhibited numerous bruises, a traumatic head injury, human bite marks, and several broken bones. She had also sustained burns from a household iron. A search conducted at the house and garden uncovered, among other items, improvised hoods constructed from plastic bags and packing