Convicted child murderer Urfan Sharif, 43, was brutally attacked inside one of Britain’s toughest prisons just weeks after being sentenced to life for the killing of his 10-year-old daughter, Sara.
Sharif, who was locked up at the high-security HMP Belmarsh in South London, was set upon on New Year’s Day by two inmates who stormed into his cell with a homemade weapon. Authorities say the attackers fashioned the weapon from the jagged lid of a tuna can.
Prison sources say Sharif was slashed multiple times across the face and neck, leaving him on the brink of death. He was rushed to the prison hospital wing, where he remains in serious condition. One source told reporters that the assault had been carefully planned: “He had a target on his back from the moment he arrived here. This was only a matter of time.”
The pair who carried out the ambush were reportedly outraged by the details of Sharif’s crime. Sara endured two years of horrific abuse before she was killed in August 2023. Evidence presented at trial showed she was beaten with a cricket bat, burned, bitten, and even bound with tape. A post-mortem revealed 25 fractures, dozens of bruises, and injuries so severe she was forced to wear clothing that concealed them.
Sharif’s conviction drew nationwide outrage, and many inmates at Belmarsh — despite serving time for violent crimes themselves — were disgusted by his abuse of a child. “Even in prison, crimes against children put a target on your back,” one source explained. “Plenty of prisoners think he got exactly what he deserved.”
Sharif was sentenced just weeks ago at London’s Old Bailey, where a judge ruled he would serve a minimum of 40 years behind bars. His wife, Beinash Batool, 30, was also convicted of murder and given a 33-year sentence, while his brother-in-law, Faisal Malik, 29, received 16 years for allowing Sara’s death.
The disturbing case gained international attention last year when Sharif, Batool, and Malik fled the UK with five of Sharif’s children. They were tracked down in Pakistan through an Interpol operation and flown back to Britain to face justice.
Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, who had fought unsuccessfully for custody, described Sharif and Batool as “executioners” and said her daughter’s suffering was ignored despite repeated warnings to authorities.
Now, as police investigate the New Year’s Day assault inside Belmarsh, Sharif faces a grim future. The scars from the attack will remain with him permanently — a reminder that even behind the walls of one of Britain’s most secure prisons, justice has a way of finding its mark.