London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Urfan Sharif, sentenced for murdering his daughter, was reportedly targeted in Belmarsh prison by two inmates. Officials are looking into the matter.
According to reports, Sara Sharif’s father was assaulted in jail, receiving injuries to his neck and face while serving his life sentence.
As reported by The Guardian, Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 43, was attacked in his cell at Belmarsh prison, south London, by two men wielding a weapon made from a tin lid. The assault happened on New Year’s Day, and his injuries were treated within custody.
In a statement, the MET Police said they are looking into the incident at Belmarsh.
Authorities have refrained from providing further details while the investigation is still ongoing.
Last month, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were given life sentences after being convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering 10-year-old Sara in their Surrey home.
Insiders told The Sun “Urfan was sliced up badly in his cell by two others who rushed in. It was planned, and they used a makeshift weapon — made from the lid of a tin of tuna.”
The sources continued, “He was sliced in the neck and face and is still in healthcare and in a very bad way. He was lucky to survive, has had to have stitches and will have scars as a permanent reminder of the attack. The guards tried to keep him safe because he obviously had a target on his back after the case was such big news.”
Urfan Sharif is held in a Category A prison, where some of Britain’s most notorious and violent criminals are detained.
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police stated, “Police are investigating an allegation that a prisoner was assaulted at HMP Belmarsh on 1 January. The victim, a 43-year-old man, suffered non-life threatening injuries.”
In court, it was revealed that Sara experienced severe pain, including repeated physical abuse and emotional distress at the family home in Working, Surrey.
Sharif called Surrey Police’s 101 lines after running away to Pakistan on 10 August last year, he told officials he was a “cruel father” and he didn’t intend to murder his daughter, but just lost control.
It soon came out that she had been abused multiple times before she died. She was beaten and burned at home, kept out of school, and forced to do chores while wearing a hijab to hide her injuries.
Even as neighbours expressed concerns over the sounds of screaming and crying, and her school teachers highlighted her injuries, social services did not recognise the extent of the abuse the girl faced.
The prosecution told the jury that some suggest that the girl wore a hijab due to her interest in Islam, but it was more likely a means to cover up her abuse.
Sara’s post-mortem examination revealed the shocking details of her death. She had 71 new injuries, such as brain bleeding, bruises on her lungs, a broken hyoid bone in her neck, and significant burns on her buttocks by an iron.
His father confessed to choking her with his hands, beating her with a cricket bat, metal rod, and phone, and he used to punch her in the stomach.
Just two hours after her brutal murder, these three victims had booked flights to Islamabad for the next day, but Pakistani officials began detaining his relatives to increase pressure.
During a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Cavanagh called Sara’s murder due to years of torture and abuse, mainly by Sharif.
Last month, new reports revealed that 74 assaults happen every day in prisons across Wales and England.
In 2023, jail attacks in England and Wales reached 26,912, with 3,205 serious cases. Wandsworth prison had the most assaults, and almost 10,000 attacks were on staff. House of Commons Library data shows a significant increase in assaults from past years.