Council workers lose bid to stop press naming them at Sara Sharif inquest

Three council workers have lost a bid to prevent the press from naming them during the inquest for murdered 10-year-old Sara Sharif.

Sara was found dead in a bunk bed at the family home in Woking, Surrey, in a crime that shocked the nation in August 2023.

Her father and stepmother – Urfan Sharif, 44, and Beinash Batool, 32 – were jailed for life the following December, after being found guilty of her murder at the Old Bailey.

Concerns were raised about Sara’s care within days of her birth in 2013, and her parents were known to social services as early as 2010, it has been reported.

Last year, a lengthy review concluded there had been multiple missed opportunities to save Sara from harm and that she was ‘failed by the safeguarding system’.

The review into the handling of Sara’s care by various different services including police, health, social care and education, said she had been ‘a victim of domestic abuse from birth onwards’.

At a pre-inquest review hearing last week, three Surrey County Council staff applied for anonymity to prevent their identities being reported in the press during the full hearing, which is expected to take place next year.

Alethea Redfern, acting on behalf of Surrey Council, had sought anonymity to protect the employees ‘from harm to their health and private and family lives’ which could result ‘from their identity being made public when they give evidence’.

Ms Redfern added that there would be a ‘risk that the employees could no longer work if their identities were revealed’ which would be a ‘loss of valuable resource to Surrey County Council’.

In a written judgment, senior coroner Richard Travers rejected all three applications.

In his decision, Mr Travers said: ‘I have considered the evidence carefully in the context of all the legal principles and I have decided that all three of the applications for anonymity should be refused.

‘I am not satisfied, on the basis of the evidence provided, that granting anonymity is justified by reference to common law principles of fairness or as a result of balancing the Article 8 rights (respect for private and family life) of the employees against the Article 10 rights (freedom of expression) of the media and the important principle of open justice.’

Mr Travers previously ordered Surrey County Council to disclose 24,606 documents about Sara’s siblings.

Sharif was jailed for a minimum term of 40 years, while Batool has to serve at least 33 years in custody.

Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 31, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years.

The full inquest is expected in October 2027.

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