Prisoner Steve Sansom sliced throat of Sara Sharif's dad with tuna can in prison - a double killer who dismembered Sarah Mayhew's body

Steve Sansom, a convicted double murderer, is thought to be the prisoner behind the attack that left Sara Sharif's killer father scarred for life. Steve Sansom is facing a life sentence for admitting the murder of Sarah Mayhew and cutting up her body with power tools last March.

Sansom, 46, who also killed a taxi driver when he was 19, is thought to be the inmate that attacked Urfan Sharif with a jagged tuna can lid on New Year’s Day. Sources told the Sun that Sansom forced Sharif, 43, into a cell with the help of another inmate, and slashed his neck open in a frenzied attack.

A source told the paper: “Everyone is talking about how it was Sansom who got to Sharif. He and another inmate apparently pounced on him as he walked back to the wing after a shower, forced him into a cell and slashed him.

“The other bloke, who is also a murderer, held the door shut. Sansom is a nasty piece of work and will be proud of what he’s done.”

Police are still investigating the incident, and no one has been arrested. A source previously told The Sun: "He has a target on his back because of who he is and what he did.

"He will always be looking over his shoulder and, if anything, is even more of a target now. Other inmates will not stop because he has been attacked once.”

It comes after the paper revealed that Sharif was "sliced up badly" in a "planned" attack, with the attackers using a makeshift weapon. “He was sliced in the neck and face, and is still in healthcare and in a very bad way," sources said.

They added: “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.”

Sharif was handed a life sentence just weeks ago after being found guilty of murdering his daughter, who was just 10. He was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years after Sara was 'beaten to death' at the family home, with the judge highlighting “the degree of cruelty involved is almost inconceivable”.

Sara's step-mother, Beinash Batool, 30, was sentenced to 33 years in prison for her involvement in the case. Her uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of causing or allowing her death. Former prison governor Vanessa Frake warned that they would be seen as "the lowest of the low" in prison.