Judges involved in Sara Sharif care cases can be named, Court of Appeal rules

Three judges who oversaw previous family court cases related to the care of Sara Sharif can be named next week, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

In December, Mr Justice Williams ruled the media could not name three judges who oversaw historical court cases related to ten-year-old Sara, as well as social workers and guardian, due to a “real risk” of harm from a “virtual lynch mob”.

With challenges made by several news outlets, the Court of Appeal said on Friday that the three unnamed judges could be identified in seven days.

Sir Geoffrey Vos said: “In the circumstances of this case, the judge had no jurisdiction to anonymise the historic judges either on December 9, 2024 or thereafter. He was wrong to do so.”

Sara’s father Urfan Sharif and her stepmother Beinash Batool were jailed for life / Credit: Surrey Police

The media previously reported Surrey County Council had concerns about Sara Sharif’s father, Urfan Sharif, dating back to 2010.

Sara, who was later murdered by her father and stepmother, Beinash Batool, in their Woking home, had been involved in three family court cases before her death.

Documents also revealed that Surrey County Council first contacted Sara’s mother, Olga Sharif, in 2010 – over two years before Sara was born – after receiving “referrals indicative of neglect” which concerned her two older siblings, identified only as Z and U.

The authority began care proceedings for Z and U in January 2013, and involved Sara within a week of her birth.

Between 2013 and 2015, multiple abuse allegations were made but never tested in court.

In 2014, a hearing revealed that the council had “significant concerns” about the children returning to their father, Urfan, “given the history of allegations of physical abuse of the children and domestic abuse with Mr Sharif as the perpetrator”.

In 2019, a judge approved that Sara would move in and live with Urfan at their Woking home, where she later died following a campaign of abuse.

Sharif and Batool were jailed for life for Sara’s murder in December, with minimum terms of 40 years and 33 years.

Her uncle, Faisal Malik, was jailed for 16 years after being convicted of causing or allowing her death.