Two prisoners have been formally charged with the attempted murder of Urfan Sharif, the man jailed for killing his 10-year-old daughter Sara Sharif, following an assault at Belmarsh Prison on 1 January 2025. Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, also face additional charges connected to the incident, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed. The pair are due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on 26 August 2025.
Urfan Sharif, 43, is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted at the Old Bailey alongside Sara's stepmother, Beinash Batool, for the murder of the schoolgirl at their family home in Woking, Surrey.
What happened during the attack?
According to a national broadcaster's report, Sharif was assaulted with a makeshift weapon while in custody, and a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said he sustained injuries that were not life-threatening. Separate reporting from LBC named Steve Sansom as the prisoner alleged to have carried out the attack, describing him as a convicted double murderer already serving a life sentence for the killing of Sarah Mayhew. The incident reportedly took place inside a cell at HMP Belmarsh on New Year's Day, with the Prison Service confirming that police were investigating an assault on a prisoner at the category A jail, according to LBC.
According to LBC, the assault was carried out with a jagged tuna can lid and is understood to have left Sharif scarred for life. The same report states that Sansom has admitted the murder of Sarah Mayhew and cutting up her body with power tools last March, for which he also faces a life sentence.
What led to Urfan Sharif's imprisonment?
Sara Sharif died as a result of what the courts characterised as a sustained campaign of abuse, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Both Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool received life sentences after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering the 10-year-old at the family's home in Woking. According to a national broadcaster's report, Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, was separately found guilty of causing or allowing her death, and the schoolgirl is understood to have endured more than two years of mistreatment before her body was found with numerous injuries at the family home.
The case has also had lasting consequences for Sara's siblings, who remain in Pakistan amid an ongoing custody dispute after Surrey County Council withdrew from legal efforts to bring them back to the UK.
Is prison violence becoming more common?
The attack on Sharif comes amid what has been described as a wider rise in violence inside prisons in England and Wales, with deadly attacks on high-profile inmates such as Ian Huntley and Ian Watkins underscoring concerns about overcrowding, staff shortages and inmate hierarchies contributing to brutality behind bars.
What happens next?
Steven Sansom and Adam Watson are scheduled to make their first court appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 26 August 2025, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, where the charges against them will be formally addressed.
Key Facts
- Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, have been charged with attempted murder over the Belmarsh Prison attack.
- The assault on Urfan Sharif occurred on 1 January 2025 inside a cell at HMP Belmarsh, allegedly carried out with a jagged tuna can lid that left him scarred for life.
- Sansom is separately understood to be serving a life sentence after admitting the murder of Sarah Mayhew and dismembering her body with power tools last March.
- Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool were convicted of murder, while uncle Faisal Malik was found guilty of causing or allowing Sara's death.
- Both defendants are due before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 26 August 2025.
