Sara Sharif trial: Father and stepmother found guilty of murder

“It's one of those cases that touches every single person who's involved in it, and I'm sure has touched many members of the community as well,” he added.

Det Ch Insp Craig Emmerson added that the murder was "one of the most difficult and distressing" cases that Surrey Police had ever dealt with.

In a statement read outside the Old Bailey, 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."

Children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said Sara's murder highlighted "profound weaknesses in our child protection system".

"There can be no doubt that Sara was failed in the starkest terms by the safety net of services around her," she said.

"Even before she was born, she was known to social care, and yet she fell off their radar so entirely that by the time she died, she was invisible to them all.

"We can have no more reviews, no more strategies, no more debate. When we say 'never again', we have to mean it – let that be Sara's legacy."

The commissioner called for a raft of changes including "proper oversight" for children, like Sara, being home schooled.