Sara Sharif, 10, suffered “unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety” as she was repeatedly beaten, burned, bitten and restrained at the family home in Woking, Surrey, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.
Three judges who oversaw family court proceedings related to the care of Sara Sharif can be named next week, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
In December, Mr Justice Williams said that the media could not identify three judges who oversaw historical court cases related to 10-year-old Sara, as well as others including social workers and guardians, due to a “real risk” of harm to them from a “virtual lynch mob”.
The 10-year-old suffered “unimaginable pain, misery and anxiety” as she was repeatedly beaten, burned, bitten and restrained at the family home in Woking, Surrey, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.
Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 43, was jailed for life for her murder last month with minimum term of 40 years.
Her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, was also convicted of murdering Sara and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years.
Several media organisations, including the Mirror and journalists Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers, challenged the ban on naming the judges.
And in a ruling on Friday, three Court of Appeal judges said 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 9 December 2024 or thereafter. He was wrong to do so.”
The media were previously allowed to report that Surrey County Council had concerns about Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, as early as 2010 and that Sara was involved in three sets of family court proceedings before she was murdered by Sharif and her stepmother, Beinash Batool, at their home in Woking, Surrey.
Family court papers reveal that social workers had repeatedly raised fears that Sara would suffer serious harm at the hands of her father who had a violent past.
But she was repeatedly returned to live with him in Woking, Surrey, where he would go on to kill her, before fleeing to Pakistan with Batool. The authorities were on alert about the child's care within a week of her birth and she was the subject of three sets of court proceedings during her short life.
Family court documents show Surrey county council first had contact with Sharif and Sara's mum Olga Domin in 2010 in relation to her two older siblings, known only as Z and U.
One judge was told Sara was "observed to stand facing a wall" by carers and "doesn't eat a lot".
Other disturbing incidents were reported but Guildford family court later allowed her to return to Sharif 's home.
Her dad was able to remove Sara from school when social services asked teachers to monitor her. Authorities also decided to take no action after the school reported bruising on Sara's face.
Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has said it was "madness" that parents can take a child out of education even if concerns about their safety had already been raised.
She added: "Being in school is a safeguard. They are safer under the eyes of teachers." Surrey county council executive director for children Rachael Wardell said: "Sara's death is incredibly distressing and we share in the profound horror at the terrible details that have emerged."
The authority began care proceedings concerning Z and U in January 2013, involving Sara within a week of her birth.
Between 2013 and 2015, several allegations of abuse were made that were never tested in court, with one hearing in 2014 told that the council had “significant concerns” about the children returning to Sharif, “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 Sara moving to live with her father at the home in Woking where she later died after 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.