Beinash Batool, the stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, has requested that an inquest into the girl's death be conducted with a diverse jury. Batool and Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, were sentenced to life and a minimum of 40 years, respectively, in December 2024 for the child's murder.
Sara's body was discovered in August 2023, and a judge described the acts against her as the worst crime he had encountered. The child suffered over 100 injuries, including being tied up, having a plastic bag secured over her head, being beaten with a cricket bat and metal pole, strangled, burned with an iron, and bitten.
During a pre-inquest review at Surrey's Coroner's Court, Batool's legal representative argued for a jury to be present, suggesting that a diverse local jury would be well-positioned to evaluate the circumstances. The court has previously heard that the inquest could examine whether a fear of accusations of racism affected the response to safeguarding concerns surrounding Sara's treatment.
Senior coroner Richard Travers informed Batool, who attended the hearing via video link from prison, that the inquest proceedings are not a retrial and will not revisit findings already made by the criminal court. He stated, "These inquest proceedings are not a retrial - you understand that, don't you? We are not going behind any findings that were made by the criminal court."
The possibility of holding the inquest with a jury will be placed on the agenda for the next pre-inquest review, scheduled for September 10. The full inquest is slated to commence in April.
A previous safeguarding report highlighted that neighbors heard screams from the residence but did not report them, fearing they might be labeled racist, particularly on social media. The report also noted that an occupational therapist visiting the home two years prior to Sara's death observed the eight-year-old wearing a hijab but did not inquire further, possibly due to a reluctance to cause offense. It was later revealed that Sara wore the headscarf to conceal bruises inflicted by her father and stepmother.
The review found it concerning that race may have hindered reporting of possible child abuse, suggesting that "white fragility" could have caused individuals to focus on their own feelings of victimisation rather than the harm being done to Sara. The Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership identified at least four missed opportunities to protect the child, concluding that different actions should have been taken and that the system failed to keep her safe.
England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, stated that Sara was "killed by those who should have loved her, but let down by every service." The safeguarding review indicated that Urfan Sharif, who had a 16-year history of domestic abuse, was a serial abuser whose risk was overlooked and underestimated by professionals.
Following Sara's death, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool fled to Pakistan but later called authorities to confess. They were extradited to the UK to face trial. Sara's five siblings have been living with their grandfather in Pakistan since October 2023. A legal battle in Pakistan between the UK council and the family regarding custody is ongoing, with neither potential outcome of the proceedings expected to result in the children's return to the UK, despite an English court order for their return.