Sara Sharif’s appeal to reveal the names of family court judges

Sara Sharif’s bid to reveal the names of judges involved in her family court proceedings before her murder will be heard in the appeals court.

The 10-year-old’s father was Urfan Sharif (43) and stepmother was 30-year-old Benash Batool. life imprisonment for his murder earlier this week.

Following the conviction at the Old Bailey, details of previous family court proceedings relating to Sarah’s care before her death can be published.

This included that Surrey County Council (SCC) repeatedly raised “significant concerns” that the girl was likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents.

Despite three sets of family court proceedings, the allegations were never tested in court, with Sarah repeatedly placed in the care of her parents before being placed with Sharif and Batool at their home in Woking, Surrey in 2019. She returned, where she was later murdered.

Mr Justice Williams, who allowed reporting from the landmark proceedings, ordered that the media could not name the other judges involved.

The decision will now be challenged in the Court of Appeal, after the journalists successfully bid for permission to appeal.

Sir Geoffrey Vos gave the go-ahead, saying: “The appeal raises questions which are of considerable public importance and it is in the public interest that the Court of Appeal consider them.”

He said that the two-day hearing will start from January 14, 2025.

The documents show that SCC first contacted Sharif and Sara’s mother, Olga Domin, in 2010 – more than two years before Sara was born – to help her with her two older siblings, known only by the names Z and U. It is known that “referrals indicating neglect” were received in relation to him. ,

This began the Council’s several years of involvement with the family which included allegations of domestic abuse by both parents towards each other and the children.

The authority commenced the first set of care proceedings in relation to Z and U in January 2013, involving Sarah within a week of her birth.

Between 2013 and 2015, several more allegations of abuse were made.

In November 2014, an injury similar to an adult bite mark was found on Z’s hand, after which Sara and her two siblings were taken under police protection, Ms Domin was arrested and charged with actual bodily harm. Charged with aggravated assault and subsequent acceptance of warning.

The council applied to take the children into emergency care, and told the family court it had “significant concerns” about the children returning to Sharif.

During the hearing a judge was told that Sarah’s carers had told her to “stand facing the wall” and that she was “very small and did not eat very much”.

The judge described Sarah’s behavior as “disturbing”, but she was released back into the care of her parents.

A court hearing in 2015 was told that the authority was “extremely concerned” that Sarah and Yu were “likely to suffer significant emotional and physical harm while in the care of their parents”.

Despite concerns, Sarah was moved into her mother’s care in November 2015, while she still had contact with her father, which continued until 2019.

After this she went to live with Sharif and Batool, according to reports, Sara then accused her mother of physical abuse, which were never proven.

A judge at Guildford Family Court approved the change, with Sarah moving into the family home in Woking.

she was there hooded, burned and beaten During the years of abuse before her death.

Sharif was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison for murder, while Batool was sentenced to a minimum of 33 years.

Sara’s uncle, 29-year-old Faisal Malik, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for causing or allowing her death.