Police have reacted to the convictions in the murder case of Sara Sharif, describing it as one of the most harrowing cases the force has ever dealt with.

Following a 10-week trial at the Old Bailey, on Wednesday Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of her murder. Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing her death.

Ten-year-old Sara died after a campaign of abuse and beatings. When police found her body at the family home in Horsell, she was covered in bruises and human bite marks and had several broken bones. She had also been burned by a domestic iron.

In a statement to the media outside the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Detective Chief Inspector Craig Emmerson of Surrey Police said Sara Sharif’s murder was “one of the most difficult and distressing” cases the officers involved had ever worked on.

He said: “The murder of a child is absolutely shocking but the abuse Sara suffered during her short life has made this case particularly disturbing.

“Today justice for Sara has been served and our thoughts remain with Sara’s mother and her siblings at this extremely difficult time.”

Mr Emmerson said the three members of Sara Sharif’s family who have been found guilty “only ever sought to preserve their own interests” and “have shown no remorse for their truly dreadful behaviour”.

He added: “Sara was a bright and lively little girl who loved singing and dancing.

“Sara’s spirit and bravery and resilience in the face of the suffering that she endured has shone through from the vast inquiries that have been undertaken in this case.

“Sara’s young life was brought to an end as a result of the brutal abuse and unspeakable violence inflicted on her by Sharif and Batool, which Malik did nothing to prevent.

“This case has shocked and horrified not only those who knew and loved her but people across the country and around the world.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey Lisa Townsend said in a statement: “The murder of Sara Sharif has been one of the most harrowing and tragic cases ever dealt with by Surrey Police and I welcome the guilty verdicts returned by the jury today.

“Sara was a bright and vibrant little girl and the suffering she must have gone through in the final months of her young life is simply heartbreaking and almost impossible to comprehend.

“In the one place where she should have felt safe – she was subjected to the most unimaginable and barbaric abuse at the hands of the very people who should have been protecting her.

“Upon her death, instead of summoning help or accepting any responsibility for what they had done, they fled the country. Since that day, they have consistently sought to avoid blame for the sheer evil they inflicted upon Sara over a prolonged period of time.

“But there are undoubtedly questions that need answering on what could have been done to prevent her death. So I welcome the safeguarding review into the circumstances which led up to the tragic events of last summer.”

She thanked the officers involved in the investigation and the agencies in both in the UK and Pakistan for their assistance.

She said the officers had been “driven throughout by a pursuit of justice for Sara. That justice has been secured today and I know this case will stay with them forever.”

Judith Reed, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said that although justice has been secured for Sara Sharif, the “ultimate tragedy is that she was killed by the very adults who should have loved and protected her”.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Ms Reed said: “At the heart of this trial was Sara Sharif – a happy, outgoing and lively 10-year-old girl who was cruelly abused and murdered by the two people closest to her.

“We have all seen Sara’s smile shine out from the photos of her but everyone involved with this case will always remember the utterly horrendous injuries and brutal treatment she received in the weeks leading up to her death.

“We cannot begin to imagine the suffering she went through in her own family home.

“Both defendants (Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool) denied killing Sara however the appalling truth is that they, along with Faisal Malik, were all living in a small house and were all complicit in what was happening to Sara.

“None of the defendants did anything to stop or report the abuse that led to Sara’s tragic death.”

Ms Reed added: “We have today secured justice for Sara – although the ultimate tragedy is that she was killed by the very adults who should have loved and protected her.”