A damning review has concluded that murdered 10-year-old Sara Sharif was repeatedly failed by a safeguarding system that missed multiple opportunities to save her from the horrific abuse she endured.
A Life Cut Short by Abuse
Sara Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, in August 2023. She had suffered what was described as ‘horrific abuse’ at the hands of her father, Urfan Sharif, and her stepmother, Beinash Batool.
In December 2024, Sharif and Batool were sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of 40 and 33 years respectively for her murder. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years.
Systemic Failures and Missed Opportunities
The local child safeguarding practice review, published on Thursday 13 November 2025, found that Sara had been a victim of domestic abuse from birth. Despite a ‘great deal of information’ being available to authorities, professionals were ‘groomed and manipulated’ by her father.
The 62-page report identified numerous critical failures:
- Sara was placed on a child protection plan before she was born, yet the seriousness of her father's domestic abuse was ‘overlooked and underestimated’.
- In 2019, after Sharif made allegations against Sara's birth mother, the child was placed in his and Batool's care. The review described the pair as a ‘lethal combination’ who should never have been trusted.
- Text messages revealed that the abuse began soon after Sara moved in with them.
The Final Weeks and a Fatal Decision
The review highlighted a series of catastrophic errors in the months leading to Sara’s death. In March 2023, she returned to school after a two-day absence with bruising to her face. While the school made a referral, the case was closed within days without police involvement.
A crucial failure occurred the following month when Sharif emailed the school to announce he would be educating Sara at home. The review concludes this was a deliberate move ‘to keep Sara hidden from view in the last weeks of her life’.
A council worker was sent to visit the family but went to the wrong address due to an old home address on the digital system. This visit occurred just two days before Sara was killed. Had the correct policy been followed, the review states it is ‘likely that the abuse of Sara would have come to light’.
The report also noted that Sara began wearing a hijab aged eight in 2021, which later hid injuries to her face and head. Expert advice suggested it was ‘highly unusual’ for a child so young to make this decision independently.
Consequences and Recommendations for Change
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the review ‘rightly highlights the glaring failures and missed opportunities across all agencies’. Surrey County Council issued a profound apology, stating it is ‘deeply sorry’ and has taken ‘robust action’ to address the failings.
The review made 15 recommendations to prevent future tragedies, calling for:
- Improved resourcing and staff qualifications in children’s services.
- Updated statutory guidance for home schooling, requiring formal meetings for children previously known to social care.
- A greater focus on the impact of domestic abuse on children.
Sir David Holmes, chair of the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, stated that Sara’s memory can be honoured ‘by understanding what happened to her and by redoubling our efforts to protect children from those who set out to harm them’.
