A new Mail podcast series investigates the brutal murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif by her father Urfan and stepmother Bainash Batool in 2023.
The first episode of ‘On The Case: The Murder of Sara Sharif’ delves into the story of Urfan, a Pakistani national who preyed on women while searching for a European Union citizen to marry, enabling him to stay in the UK.
Presented by investigative journalist Andy Jehring, who covered the case from the initial discovery of Sara’s body to Urfan’s subsequent sentencing to life imprisonment in December 2024, the episode includes an exclusive interview with the killer’s first girlfriend in the UK.
Referred to as ‘Angelika’, a Polish national who was just 17 years old when she encountered 26-year-old Urfan while both were employed at Burger King, reveals details about a profoundly insecure individual whose inclination to mistreat those closest to him often outweighed his priority of obtaining UK residency.
Urfan Sharif: From Abusive Partner to Child Killer
Urfan Sharif travelled to the UK from Pakistan in 2003 on a student visa paid for by his father Mohamed’s military pension. The plan was for Urfan to work and send money back to the family.
Working at a Burger King in 2007, he met 17-year-old ‘Angelika’. After four years in the UK completing a Business Management course, Urfan knew time was running out to find someone to marry and secure his immigration status.
The pair began dating, and Angelika told the podcast that initially, Urfan treated her like ‘a princess.’
‘He was very wonderful in the beginning’, she revealed.
‘I felt very safe – he acted almost like a bodyguard. He knew where I was going. He called my friends to tell them to look after me. They would give him information about where I was, who I was talking to.
‘I was young, I didn’t see the red flags.’
By the winter of 2007, Angelika said the ‘devil emerged in Urfan’ as his paranoia turned violent.
Relaxing at home on a break from work, she alleges Urfan burst through the door and launched himself at her.
Pinned against the sofa, he held a knife at her throat, telling her: ‘you’re mine and only mine.’
Sara Sharif, 10, died in August 2023 after being subjected to ‘unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety’, a court previously heard
Ten-year-old Sara Sharif died in August 2023 after being subjected to ‘unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety,’ a trial at the Old Bailey heard
Urfan proceeded to punch Angelika in the face, steal her possessions and lock her inside the house.
Angelika reported the incident to Surrey police but decided against pursuing charges against him.
Jehring explained her reasons why: ‘At this time, Angelika was in her late teens, living in a foreign country, with a limited grasp of English.
‘Urfan was almost a decade older, and not only had he completely taken over her life – but he’d also managed to hoodwink her friends and family into thinking he was a decent man.
‘This meant those closest to Angelika leant on her not to take things any further.’
Angelika returned to Urfan, became pregnant with his child, but later miscarried. Responding to the news, Urfan would again reveal his true colours.
‘I was crying like a kid, and he told me, you had a f***ing abortion, you b****’, Angelika said.
‘Then, he punched me in the face – it was very painful, not only losing a child but having Urfan accuse me of having an abortion.’
After this incident, she left him and fled back to Poland, but Urfan pursued her. On this trip searching for Angelika, he would meet another woman, 21-year-old Olga Denim.
Olga was convinced to marry Urfan and accompany him to the UK, securing his immigration status.
‘They were married quickly and started a family in the ensuing months’, Jehring said.
‘Social services were repeatedly called to the house. Urfan had gambling and drinking problems – and was fully removed from the family home at one point.
‘It was against this toxic backdrop that Olga fell pregnant with their daughter – Sara Sharif.’
To find out how Urfan got sole custody over Sara, search for ‘On The Case: The Murder of Sara Sharif’ now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes released every Wednesday.
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