THREE family court judges who let Sara Sharif live with her killer dad can be named next week — in a victory for The Sun.
We appealed a ruling by Mr Justice Williams last month that no professionals involved in the case should be named because the media “could not be trusted to report fairly”.
Family court judges will be named who permitted Sara Sharif to live with killer dad UrfanPA
Sara, 10, was killed amid a series of missed opportunities from the authorities to save herPA
Yesterday, at the Court of Appeal, Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos accepted our claim it was an attack on open justice.
He said Mr Justice Williams had “lost sight of the importance of press scrutiny to the integrity of the justice system”.
He added: “It is not for judges to decide what the press should report or how to do their jobs.”
Mr Justice Williams said naming the trio, two of whom have since retired, would expose them to a “virtual lynch mob”.
In 2019 the family court decided Sara should live with dad Urfan and stepmum Beinash Batool.
Months later they began torturing her before she was killed in August 2023.
Sharif and Batool were convicted of murder.
Uncle Faisal Malik was convicted for allowing it to happen.
15 missed opportunities to save tragic Sara
By Ed Southgate
JANUARY 2013: Sara was made subject to a child protection plan at birth because of Urfan Sharif being accused of attacking three women including her mother, as well as hitting and biting two children.
But she was allowed to remain with her father.
FEBRUARY 22, 2013: A month after Sara was born, social services and police were told that Sharif had slapped a child around the face.
Nothing was done.
MAY 7, 2013: A social worker spotted a burn mark on a child’s leg.
Sharif failed to report the incident and claimed it was a barbecue accident. Nothing was done.
OCTOBER 7, 2013: A child was seen with a burn mark made by a domestic iron.
Sharif told social services the child had bumped into the appliance.
No action was taken.
2013 TO 2014: A child told a social worker that Sharif smashed up a TV and punched Sara’s mother Olga.
NOVEMBER 2014: Sara was taken into foster care after a child told a social worker about a bite mark.
But she later returned to live with her father following a family court hearing in October 2019 where social services recommended Sara lived with her father because that was her preference.
JANUARY 2015: Sharif was reported to social services for waving a knife around at home in what he said was a zombie game.
Social workers noted that Sharif hit and kicked Olga at home and the pair threatened to kill each other.
FEBRUARY 2015: A child told their foster carer that Sharif used to hit them on the bottom with a belt.
In September that year the child was heard to say to Sharif: “When you’re at home you hit and kick me every day.”
2015: Olga told social services about Sharif tightening a belt around her neck.
Around this time social workers complained Sharif was coercive and derogatory towards them.
A male social worker was then appointed to the family.
DECEMBER 2016: A child told a social worker they did not like Sharif because he punched them all over their body and gave them lots of bruises.
Social workers saw Sara flinch when Sharif told her off during supervised contact and seem surprised when he cuddled her.
JUNE 6, 2022: A teacher reported that Sara had a bruise under her eye, using the school’s online child protection monitoring system.
Sara initially would not say what happened, before later saying another child hit her.
But no referral was made to social services.
MARCH 10, 2023: A teacher saw bruises on Sara’s face.
Sara said she had fallen on roller skates.
When she gave a different story to a safeguarding lead, the school made a referral to social services.
Six days later social services decided to take no further action.
It is understood there had been no contact between social services and Sara’s family for four years at this point.
Social services categorised the case as the second highest priority and asked other agencies for information.
When nothing came back, the case was closed.
MARCH 20, 2023: A report was logged on the school’s internal system after Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool was overheard referring to children as “motherf***er, sister f***er, b**** and whore” in the playground.
But no details were passed to social services.
MARCH 28, 2023: Batool claimed a mark on Sara’s face was caused by a pen.
The teacher told the school safeguarding lead.
APRIL 17, 2023: Sharif decided to home-school Sara.
School staff rang the council for advice and were told they should make a referral if there were concerns.
Staff saw Sara later that day at school pick-up and she seemed fine so they decided against it, even though she had been beaten earlier that day.
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