UK premier says 'questions need to be answered' over 'awful' murder of 10-year-old girl

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The British prime minister on Thursday raised concern over the abuse and murder of Sara Sharif, describing it as the "most awful case."

Keir Starmer has said the murder of 10-year-old Sara was "the most awful case" and that there are questions that need to be answered.

"My first response is a human response. This is just an awful case. It's very hard to see, to read about; for many people who will be viewing, it's just shocking," he told Sky News.

Starmer added that "obviously, there's going to be questions that need to be answered" in this case.

His remarks came after Sara's 43-year-old father, Urfan Sharif, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of her murder on Wednesday.

Last year, Sara's body was found at her home in Woking, Surrey. She was hooded, burned, and beaten before her body was found with dozens of injuries at the family's home in Surrey.

Separately, new figures by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel revealed that 485 children in England died or were seriously harmed as a result of abuse or neglect between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that the government is preparing a Children's Wellbeing Bill that will make "changes to ensure children are safe, healthy, happy, and treated fairly."

Earlier on Thursday, Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, said it is "madness" that the current law allows parents to pull their child out of school even if concerns have been raised.

Sara was removed from school after her parent learned that her teachers had spoken to social services.

Surrey County Council, which was informed of concerns about the 10-year-old's welfare, has launched an independent investigation into its handling of the case, according to the BBC report.