The judge who made decisions about Sara Sharif’s care before she was murdered by her father can now be named.
Mrs Justice Alison Raeside, Mr Justice Peter Nathan and Mrs Justice Sally Williams, all made decisions about Sara’s living arrangements and had been subject to an anonymity order.
But the Court of Appeal has ruled they can now be named.
ITV News’ Ellie Pitt reveals what the judges knew, their decisions and the impact it had on Sara’s care.
‘I am going to hope for the best’ said the judge who awarded the care of Sara Sharif to her murderous father.
In 2019, a judge ruled that six-year-old Sara Sharif should live with her father, Urfan Sharif, and stepmother, Beinash Batool.
Less than four years later they murdered her.
That was the last decision made by Mrs Justice Alison Raeside, who had overseen legal care proceedings involving Sara since she was born.
Mrs Justice Raeside and two other family court judges, Mr Justice Peter Nathan and Mrs Justice Sally Williams, who also made decisions about Sara’s living arrangements, can now be named.
The trio had been subject to an anonymity order made by another judge that prevented the media from reporting their identities.
All three judges did not ask to remain anonymous.
The Court of Appeal lifted that order, stating that the judge who made it, Mr Justice Williams, “got rather carried away”.
ITV News has seen hundreds of pages of family court documents relating to Sara’s care proceedings.
Mr Justice Nathan and Mrs Justice Williams made emergency decisions at short notice.
In both instances, they ruled that Sara should remain in foster care.
But, Mrs Justice Raeside was the predominant judge on cases involving Sara and her family, across a six-year period.
So what happened to Sara in the family courts?
January 2013
- Sara was born into care proceedings.
- A few days after she was born, the Local Authority, Surrey County Council, made an application for Sara to be taken into care due to “ongoing domestic abuse between the parents with the father as the perpetrator”.
September 2013
- Details of four police reports ordered by Mrs Justice Raeside revealed concerns about her parents, mother Olga Domin and Urfan Sharif.
- They indicated “dirty conditions in the family home” and “emotional abuse” suffered by the children “resulting from the volatile relationship between the parents”.
- But professionals including clinical psychologists and a senior family support worker presented the view that Sara’s parents could care for her.
- Based on this, Mrs Justice Raeside ordered Sara to be looked after by her parents under the supervision of Surrey County Council.
November 2014
- Sara’s mother is arrested on suspicion of Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) after a child is found with a human bite mark injury.
- Sara is placed into foster care.
- Court documents reveal Sara, who was nearly two years old, is “observed to stand facing a wall… is very small and doesn’t eat a lot.” She also “doesn’t respond to being carried… doesn’t wrap her legs around her carer”.
- Surrey County Council cite concerns over Mr Sharif’s history of physical and domestic violence and his ability to care for Sara.
- Mrs Justice Raeside refuses an order for Sara to stay in foster care and she is instead returned to the care of her father.
December 2014
- Following a hearing which Mrs Justice Raeside oversaw, both parents, Ms Domin and Mr Sharif, continue to care for Sara at the family home.
- Surrey County Council are recorded as still concerned about their ability to “safely and adequately parent” and “Mr Sharif’s possible anger management”.
- There are “allegations of Mr Sharif ‘smashing’ the family television,” which he denied.
- Mrs Justice Raeside orders an agreement to be written up that includes both parents consenting to attend parenting courses.
May 2015
- Sara’s mother is moved to a refuge after she accused Mr Sharif of domestic abuse.
- Sara is briefly placed in foster care before returning to her mother.
July 2015
- Surrey County Council learned that Ms Domin had been allowing Sara to have unsupervised contact with her father.
- Sara was taken into foster care again.
- While in care, Sara was observed to have “some disturbed behaviour” as well as “scars potentially consistent with cigarette burns”.
August 2015
- In line with the view of Sara’s guardian at the time, who was believed to be “the least damaging option,” Mrs Justice Raeside agreed for Sara to be returned to the care of her mother, Ms Domin, with supervised contact with her father.
March 2019
- Sara went to live with her father and stepmother, Beinash Batool.
- Mr Sharif applied to the court with Ms Domin’s consent to change care arrangements to reflect that Sara now lives with her father.
October 2019
- Mrs Justice Raeside ordered a Surrey County Council report, which was undertaken by a social worker.
- The social worker recorded that Sara made allegations of physical abuse including being hit and drowned in the bath by her mother.
- Mrs Justice Raeside accepted the recommendation that Sara should live with her father and stepmother with supervised contact with her mother.
- As the court session concluded. Mrs Justice Raeside was recorded saying: “I am going to hope for the best.”
In August 2023, Sara Sharif was murdered by her father and stepmother.
Her body was discovered by police after the couple fled to Pakistan.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had at least 25 fractured bones and had been burnt with an iron, in what was described in court as “torture”.
Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were both sentenced to life in prison.
Sara’s uncle Faisal Malik was sentenced to 16 years in jail for causing or allowing the death of a child.
There is a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review taking place following Sara’s murder.
It will examine any contact she had with agencies including education, the police, health and social care between 2019 and her death.
Rachael Wardell, Executive Director for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning at Surrey County Council told ITV News: “We are resolute in our commitment to protecting children, and we are determined to play a full and active part in the forthcoming review alongside partner agencies, to thoroughly understand the wider circumstances surrounding Sara’s tragic death.”
ITV News contacted Mrs Justice Raeside, Mr Justice Peter Nathan and Mrs Justice Sally Williams for a response.
A judicial office representative said that it is not the policy for judges to comment on cases they have presided over.
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