UK

Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother have been found guilty of murdering the 10-year-old before fleeing to Pakistan. Sara was hooded, tied up, beaten with a cricket bat, burnt with an iron and even bitten in a “brutal” campaign of abuse in the weeks before her death on 8 August last year, the Old Bailey heard.

A police officer who sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl on duty has been jailed. Dean Dempster, 35, from Manchester, attacked the child when he was responding to a domestic disturbance on 29 December 2023 while on duty in Oldham. During the investigation, it was also found he had superimposed his face onto child abuse images.

Sara Sharif’s murder-accused father has told jurors he “takes full responsibility” for the death of his daughter. Minicab driver Urfan Sharif, 42, called police in the early hours of 10 August last year saying he had beaten her “too much” for being “naughty”, the court previously heard. The 10-year-old’s body was found in a bunkbed

NHS league tables revealing failing NHS trusts and cancelled pay rises or dismissal for managers who don’t turn things around are to form part of the government’s plans to improve the health service. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is confirming new measures he hopes will boost failing hospital trusts and encourage successful ones. The changes form

WARNING: This article contains language and content some readers may find distressing As a single mum, Lucy* looked forward to her rare nights out. A few years ago, during after-work drinks at a local pub, she started feeling unwell. When she collapsed and passed out, a bouncer called an ambulance. Lucy’s drink had been spiked.

Gary Lineker will step down as host of Match Of The Day at the end of the season, the BBC has confirmed. The 63-year-old will continue to host coverage of the FA Cup in 2025/26 and the World Cup in 2026, the broadcaster announced. Lineker will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast while his

A six-month expected lifespan and the ability to take the fatal drugs will be requirements for someone to end their own life under proposed assisted dying legislation. Someone with disability or mental health issues will not be eligible for assisted dying under the plans, published in the End of Life Bill on Tuesday. MPs will

A former soldier accused of spying for Iran has pleaded guilty to escaping from prison under a food catering truck and going on the run for four days while he was awaiting trial. Daniel Khalife, 23, from Kingston, southwest London, changed his plea to a charge of escaping from lawful custody, halfway through giving evidence

Sir Keir Starmer will attend Armistice Day commemorations in France on Monday – the first UK leader to do so since Winston Churchill in the Second World War. Towns and cities across France will mark the 106th anniversary of the Armistice agreement in 1918 that brought fighting in the First World War to an end.

The King led the nation’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations as he laid a wreath at the Cenotaph during a two-minute silence. Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection. He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law,

The Princess of Wales has joined other senior royals at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance. Both wearing poppies, Kate and the Prince of Wales were seen talking to one another before taking their seats at the Royal Albert Hall. They were later pictured applauding on the balcony during the service that included a

Rachel Reeves will this weekend be told by some of Britain’s biggest hospitality groups that the tax hikes imposed in last month’s Budget risk triggering a tsunami of job losses across the sector. Sky News has learnt that dozens of bosses from pub, restaurant and hotel operators have agreed to sign a letter to the

The Metropolitan Police has referred two cases to the police watchdog following complaints about investigations into allegations made against Mohamed al Fayed. The force has voluntarily referred the cases to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after receiving complaints from two women regarding prior police investigations into allegations against the former Harrods and Fulham

In Altrincham near Manchester asylum seekers are just settling in at the Cresta Court Hotel, many of them just days after making a treacherous journey across the English Channel. But, as the new arrivals find sanctuary in a northern town, their presence is causing controversy. The government said it would end the use of hotels

Prince William has described the past year as “brutal” and probably “the hardest year in my life” following his father and wife being diagnosed with cancer. In a wide-ranging and surprisingly personal interview at the end of his week-long tour of Cape Town, the Prince of Wales was asked how hard the last year has

Lucy Letby suggested she could give “tips” to a colleague on how to get away with murder, a public inquiry has heard. The child serial killer exchanged WhatsApp messages in 2017 with union rep Hayley Griffiths about the US legal drama How To Get Away With Murder. The discussion took place a year after the

Large groups of youths have been throwing fireworks, bricks and bottles at police in Edinburgh, during a night of disorder across the city. Video posted online shows officers responding to Bonfire Night incidents in the Sighthill, Niddrie, Gracemount and Gilmerton areas. Riot police have been seen on the streets of Edinburgh, wearing helmets and carrying

A mass cull of poultry has been ordered after an outbreak of bird flu on a farm in Yorkshire. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place around the farm near Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire and all the fowl on the property will be destroyed, the Department

Sara Sharif’s father tried to save his daughter and begged for an ambulance but was told “leave it, she’s already dead”, his defence team told jurors. Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering the 10-year-old girl, along with her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29. Sara

Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates is yet to receive a reply from Sir Keir Starmer, despite writing to him over a month ago. Sir Alan said he had written to the prime minister to remind him the “clock is still ticking” on a financial redress deadline for victims. In his letter, he demanded a