Britain’s most notorious child killers Lucy Letby and Sara Sharif’s stepmother Beinash Batool have formed an unlikely friendship behind bars at HMP Bronzefield, bonding over cheese toasties and games of Uno, according to prison sources.
The disturbing alliance between Letby, 35, who murdered seven babies in her care, and Batool, 30, who was convicted of murdering her ten-year-old stepdaughter, has emerged at Europe’s largest women’s prison in Surrey. Both inmates are serving life sentences for their heinous crimes against children.
A prison source told The Sun that the pair spend considerable time together on the landing, engaging in card games that have become a “grim spectacle” for other inmates and staff to witness.
“It’s a grim spectacle. They spend ages at the table playing and get really into it,” the source revealed. “People are angry, but staff have to do what they can to keep prisoners happy.”
The unlikely friendship has developed since Batool was remanded to the same high-security unit where Letby is housed for her protection. Both women are held in house block four, which offers enhanced privileges including private rooms with en-suite showers, larger beds and access to a private courtyard.
According to insiders, the child killers have also secured prison jobs, with Batool working in the library whilst Letby has begun work as a cleaner. Both positions allow them limited movement within the facility whilst remaining under close supervision.
“They are also monitored closely by staff as they are at risk of attack. But their lives will stay quite comfortable as long as they behave,” the source explained, highlighting the protective measures in place for high-profile inmates.
The source noted a stark difference in how the two women discuss their crimes: “The difference between them is that Batool does not discuss her crime, while Letby tells anyone who will listen that she’s innocent,” they alleged.
The friendship circle reportedly extends beyond just the two women. Prison sources indicate that Batool has also formed alliances with other child killers, including Michelle Smith, who poisoned her six-month-old daughter Amy with adult painkillers in Swansea in 2007.
Sharon Carr, who became Britain’s youngest female murderer aged 12 when she stabbed 18-year-old Katie Rackliff 30 times in a random attack in Camberley, Surrey, in 1992, is also said to be part of their group.
“Beinash is also friends with Michelle and Sharon. They all live in house block four which is a really nice wing,” the insider revealed. “The child killers always stick together because they want to protect themselves, so it doesn’t surprise me in the least that they get along so well.”
Letby, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. She has always maintained her innocence and lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal.
In October, she lost another appeal against her conviction for the attempted murder of a baby girl, which she was found guilty of by a different jury at a retrial. Despite recent reports casting doubt on her conviction, with some medical experts questioning the evidence, Letby remains behind bars with no prospect of release.
Batool was convicted alongside her husband Urfan Sharif, 42, on 11 December 2024 for the murder of his daughter Sara following what prosecutors described as a “campaign of abuse.” She was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years on 17 December.
The court heard how Sara suffered more than 100 internal and external injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones, extensive bruising and human bite marks. Evidence showed Sara had endured at least 25 fractures, iron burns on her bottom, and burn marks from hot water on her feet.
Justice Cavanagh described Sara as a “very courageous little girl with an unquenchable spirit” who suffered years of torture, including regular beatings with a cricket bat, metal pole and mobile phone – even as she lay dying.
Following Sara’s death on 8 August 2023, Batool, Sharif and his brother Faisal Malik fled to Pakistan, leaving Sara’s battered body under a pink duvet on her bunk bed at their Surrey home. They were arrested upon their return to the UK on 13 September 2023.
HMP Bronzefield, where both women are incarcerated, is the only purpose-built private prison solely for women in the UK and houses 572 inmates. The facility, operated by Sodexo Justice Services, has previously housed other notorious female criminals including serial killer Joanna Dennehy and Rose West.
The prison has gained media coverage for its supposedly lax regime and facilities. According to the prison’s own information, each wing has a servery unit for women to collect food which they can choose to eat together on the wing or take back to their cells, with telephones in each room to help maintain family ties.
Prison expert Mark Leech previously explained that inmates like Letby are considered “restricted status” prisoners, equivalent to Category A in the male estate, meaning they are deemed high risk and require maximum security measures.
The Ministry of Justice and Sodexo, the private firm operating Bronzefield prison, both declined to comment on the reported friendship between the two child killers when approached by media outlets.
For the families of their victims, news of this alliance between two of Britain’s most reviled criminals will likely add another layer of pain to their ongoing grief, as the women who destroyed innocent young lives find companionship with each other behind bars.
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