Sara Sharif’s killer father has reportedly been violently attacked behind bars – but experts say the chilling ambush comes as no surprise. Urfan Sharif was reportedly targeted by two inmates at HMP Belmarsh, on New Year’s Day.
It comes just weeks after the 43-year-old started a life sentence for the murder of his 10-year-old daughter. His throat was said to have been sliced with the jagged lid of a tuna can.
He is understood to have been left with non-life-threatening injuries. Last month, Sharif was jailed for a minimum of 40 years alongside Sara’s stepmum Beinash Batool, 30, and her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
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The child was subjected to two years of torture, Mirror reports. Sara – who was described as having had a ‘beautiful smile and loud laugh’ – died with 25 fractures and 71 external injuries, including bite marks and iron burns.
According to retired prison governor Vanessa Frake, Sharif’s treatment is just a reflection of his bleak future. Vanessa – who spent nearly three decades working inside jail – said: “High-profile prisoners like Sharif will always be vulnerable to attacks.
“In prison, there is a hierarchical system between inmates and those that murder, rape or molest children are seen as the lowest of the low. The dreadful abuse and murder of Sara Sharif, reported by the media, has highlighted Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik to other prisoners.
“There will be no hiding from their crimes behind bars.” The former warden watched over the likes of child killer Beverley Allitt and serial killer Rose West during her 27-year prison career.
She said: “Tins of tuna are sold in the canteen shop where convicted prisoners can shop monthly. Prisoners will use anything as a weapon – batteries, pool balls in a shock, boiling water with sugar, and razors welded into toothbrushes are also common.”
Vanessa said Sharif would have been warned by officers to not talk about his crimes when he first went to jail. She said: “It is more than likely he would have been offered Rule 43, which would mean he would be segregated away from the general population.
“But even if he was housed in a vulnerable prison unit, he could have been targeted by those who thought his crime was worse than theirs.” She added: “Of course, there may also be a price on his head issued by other prisoners higher up the hierarchy, who often use attacks as a way of clearing debt.”
Vanessa said prison officers are not always able to be with prisoners so Sharif will ‘need to look over his shoulder for the duration of his 40 years in custody’. Legal expert Adam Jones, from HD Claims, said Sharif’s reported attack underscores the harsh reality of prison life for convicted child killers.
He said it ‘paints a stark picture of what lies ahead’. Adam said: “For him, and others in similar situations, every day is about survival – not just in a physical sense, but emotionally and mentally as well.
“Individuals convicted of heinous crimes, especially those involving harm to children, are seen at the lowest of the low, and it’s deeply ingrained in prison culture. Other inmates, many of whom may themselves have endured traumatic childhoods or abusive upbringings, view child killers or abusers with particular disdain, and this can manifest in targeted hostility or violence.”
Adam said Sharif’s life behind bars would be a ‘constant tightrope walk of survival’. He said: “From day one, inmates convicted of crimes against children are segregated for their own safety, often placed in protective custody or vulnerable prisoner units – but even in these units, word spreads fast, and a prisoner’s reputation can follow them, making even these supposedly secure areas dangerous.”
The killer’s day-to-day life will likely involve limited interaction and restricted access to communal spaces. Following the attack, his movements will be even more isolated.
Adam went on: “Prison authorities will likely review this assault closely, implementing stricter measures to ensure Sharif’s safety, whether through increased surveillance, limited interaction with other inmates or even transferring him to a different facility.
“Beyond physical safety concerns, the psychological toll on such inmates is immense. Knowing they are targets creates a perpetual state of anxiety and hypervigilance.
“While they may outwardly try to maintain composure, the mental strain of being a marked man in prison often leads to isolation, paranoia, and, in some cases, self-harm or suicide attempts.”