Two men have been charged with attempted murder after Sara Sharif's killer father 'had his throat slit with a tuna can lid' at HMP Belmarsh.

Steven Sansom, 47, and Adam Watson, 39, are accused of trying to kill Urfan Sharif at the high-security prison in south-east London on New Year's Day last year. 

Sharif was ambushed in his cell by two inmates armed with the jagged lid of a tuna tin.

He was left in a critical condition in hospital after allegedly having his throat slashed, but ultimately survived. 

It came just weeks after Sharif was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years for the harrowing abuse and killing of his ten-year-old daughter, Sara.

Sansom, a former builder, is serving a whole-life tariff after being sentenced last year for murder and perverting the course of justice.

He killed Sarah Mayhew, 38, and disposed of her remains in different locations around London, the Old Bailey heard.

At the time, he was out of prison on life licence after murdering a taxi driver in 1998.

Watson was jailed for 21 years in 2024 for murdering mother-of-two Samantha Holden in her Farnborough home.

A prison source said at the time of the attack on Sharif: 'Urfan was sliced up badly in his cell by two others who rushed in. It was planned and they used a makeshift weapon — made from the lid of a tin of tuna. 

'He was sliced in the neck and face, and is still in healthcare and in a very bad way.

'He was lucky to survive, has had to have stitches and will have scars as a permanent reminder of the attack. The guards tried to keep him safe because he obviously had a target on his back after the case was such big news.

'Something like this was always on the cards, and an attack was probably only a matter of time.

'Sharif has tried to keep his head down since coming into the jail, but word quickly got round about who he was.

'Inmates were not happy he is in there with them and, although the other prisoners are in for heinous crimes, a lot of them don't like people who attack children. A lot of them are saying how it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.'

The pair have been charged with attempted murder and section 18 offences, the CPS said.

They will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a first hearing on August 26, 2026.

During Sharif's trial, a court heard that the ten-year-old schoolgirl suffered 'unimaginable pain' during more than two years of abuse and was ultimately tortured to death by her father and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30.

She was battered with a cricket bat, metal pole and a rolling pin, strangled until her neck broke, burnt with an iron and bitten.

Mr Justice Cavanagh began his sentencing remarks by describing the degree of cruelty shown towards Sara as 'inconceivable', and jailed Sharif to a minimum term of 40 years, Batool to 33 years and her uncle, Faisal Malik, to 16 years in prison.

The judge said her 'despicable treatment' took place in 'plain sight and in front of the rest of the family'.

He told Sharif: 'You treated her in such a way because you considered it your right to impose harsh discipline on her.

'Sara was a brave, feisty and spirited child. She was not submissive as you wanted her to be. She stood up to you. 

'I have no doubt that your ego and sense of self importance was boosted by the power you wielded over her and the rest of the family.'

Considered Britain's most secure prison, Belmarsh is known for holding extremely high risk offenders, including terrorists who pose a threat to national security.

The last inspection by the jail's Independent Monitoring Board found there had been 226 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the year to June 2025, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.

Belmarsh housed 694 inmates as of March 2025, 72 per cent of them British and the rest foreign nationals.

While around 60 per cent are on remand, others are high risk sentenced inmates, the worst of whom are housed within the site's 48-man High Security Unit, dubbed 'a prison within a prison'. 

Belmarsh was first opened in 1991, becoming the first adult male prison established in London since Wormwood Scrubs in 1874.

Belmarsh is also home to Daniel Khalife, the former British soldier convicted of spying for Iran, Sir David Amess's killer Ali Harbi Ali and neo-Nazi bomber David Copeland.

Kyle Clifford, who was handed a whole life order in March for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Louise Hunt, her sister Hannah and their mother, Carol, was held in Belmarsh while on trial at the Old Bailey – as is common. 

Other Belmarsh inmates include serial rapist and burglar Delroy Grant, former television presenter Paul Ballard – who was convicted of rape and death by dangerous driving – and devil-worshipping murderer Danyal Hussein, who killed sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.

Louis De Zoysa, who shot dead an on-duty police sergeant at Croydon police station in 2020, Reading terror attacker  Khairi Saadallah and Grindr killer Stephen Port are also believed to be housed in Belmarsh. 

Daren Streeter, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in CPS London, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to charge Steven Sansom and Adam Watson with attempted murder in connection to an incident at HMP Belmarsh in January 2025.

'Our prosecutors have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and pursue criminal proceedings.

'We remind all concerned that proceedings against the defendants are active and they have the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.'