Two inmates deny attempted murder of Sara Sharif's father in Belmarsh cell

On New Year’s Day 2025, Urfan Sharif, whose daughter Sara Sharif was killed, was allegedly attacked inside a cell at HMP Belmarsh by inmates Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39. Prosecutors say Sansom invited Sharif in, Watson assaulted him with repeated punches, and Sansom applied pressure to his throat while using a makeshift weapon fashioned from a tin lid and a pen. Officers discovered Sharif on the floor, bloodied and with injuries to his face, mouth and neck.

At a hearing in the Old Bailey, both men entered not-guilty pleas to attempted murder, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and unlawful possession of the improvised weapons. Judge Lynn Tayton KC scheduled a two-week trial for July 19 next year and remanded the defendants to custody, with a pre-trial hearing set for June 21. The case follows the life sentences handed to Urfan Sharif and his stepmother Beinash Batool for the 10-year-old’s murder.