A senior coroner has ordered Surrey County Council to disclose 24,606 documents pertaining to the siblings of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, whose murder in August 2023 shocked the nation. The order came during a pre-inquest review where the council had argued that many of the documents were irrelevant to the ongoing investigation.
Sara was found dead at her family home in Woking, Surrey, after suffering extreme violence, described by a judge as the worst crime he had encountered. Her father, Urfan Sharif, and his wife, Beinash Batool, were convicted of her murder in December 2024 and sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 40 and 33 years, respectively. The court heard Sara sustained over 100 injuries, including being tied up, having a plastic bag placed over her head, being beaten with various objects, strangled, burned, and bitten.
Sara lived with several siblings, her father, stepmother, and uncle. Her five siblings, who now reside in Pakistan with their grandfather, became wards of court in England following her death. Surrey County Council has been pursuing their return to the UK, which has been a point of contention in Pakistani courts.
Senior Coroner Richard Travers stated his intention to review all documents related to Sara's siblings. Alethea Redfern, representing Surrey County Council, had opposed full disclosure, suggesting that a review of the paperwork by the council was necessary and that some documents had no connection to Sara's death. She argued that disclosing all documents, which are in electronic format, would go beyond what is necessary.
However, Coroner Travers asserted that the council's 'issue' with releasing the pages was unclear and that the disclosure would be an order of the court. He mandated that all pages be released by the afternoon of October 2, warning that failure to comply would require the attendance of the council's chief executive at the coroner's court.
The inquest into Sara's death, originally scheduled to begin in April 2027, has been adjourned to a later date in October. The coroner emphasized that inquests are important hearings that must be conducted properly and he is not prepared to rush the proceedings.
During the review, three individuals applying for anonymity to protect their identities from press reporting also made submissions. The coroner will make a decision on these applications at a later date.
Concerns about Sara's care were noted as early as 2013, with her parents known to social services since 2010. A safeguarding report preceding her murder indicated that neighbors heard screams but did not report them, fearing accusations of racism, particularly on social media. An occupational therapist visiting the home two years prior to the murder observed Sara wearing a hijab, but did not question it, later reflecting a potential reluctance to cause offense. It was later revealed that the head covering was used to conceal bruises inflicted by her father and stepmother.
The Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership identified at least four missed opportunities to protect Sara, concluding that different actions could and should have been taken. England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, stated that Sara was let down by every service meant to protect her.
Urfan Sharif had a history of violence prior to his daughter's death, having been accused of attacking two children and three women, including Sara's mother, Olga Domin, though he was never charged. He faced accusations of holding a woman at knifepoint, choking another, and imprisoning a girlfriend for five days while attempting to secure UK residency. Despite these accusations, a child protection plan was closed in 2011 without evidence of his abusive behavior being addressed. Social services were repeatedly involved after accusations of him assaulting children, but no further action was taken as he blamed Ms. Domin.
Sara was placed in foster care in 2014 but received only a 12-month supervision order despite recommendations for adoption, with inadequate safeguards in place. Urfan Sharif, during this period, was reportedly drinking and gambling before traveling to Pakistan, marrying his cousin, and then returning to marry Batool.
In 2016, Sharif was ordered to attend a domestic violence perpetrator program, admitting to extensive abuse, but he only completed eight of the 26 sessions. Experts noted insufficient evidence of behavioral change. A report detailing these issues was not properly integrated into Sara's safeguarding file due to a social worker's oversight.
Further compounding the failures, a family court awarded Sharif custody in 2019 based on a flawed report by an inexperienced social worker who was under pressure to file the report on time. Sara's Polish mother was reportedly marginalized and excluded from decisions about Sara's fate due to a lack of interpretation services, and her concerns were not adequately addressed. This led to a failure to recognize red flags, with an assumption that a court decision granting custody meant Sara was safe.