Sara Sharif: Fifteen missed chances to save murdered youngster include bruises on face

Sara Sharif was beaten to death four years after taxi driver Sharif was awarded custody, despite accusations of abuse against him, but chances to save her were missed

Fifteen chances to save murdered schoolgirl Sara Sharif - including reports her dad was violent - were missed in a ten-year spell before her killing.

Authorities had several opportunities to put Sara into a safe abode almost since her birth but, instead, she endured the most intense violence at the family home in the weeks leading to her death.

Her siblings even reported their dad Urfan Sharif - now convicted of murder - had been violent to them and Sara. Social workers spotted burn marks on children and were told Sharif slapped a child around the face and that he waved a knife around the home.

But the little girl was eventually discovered dead at the family address in Surrey, Woking, in August 2023, more than 10 years after she was made subject to a child protection plan at birth because of accusations her dad had attacked three women, including her mother.

Now, Sharif, 42, and Sara's stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, are facing life sentences after being found guilty at the Old Bailey. Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death.

The lengthy list of chances authorities had to step in dates back to January 2013, when Sara was born. Even by the time she went to school, concerns were still flagged, like bruising on her face.

Speaking on Wednesday after the conviction, the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, said it showed Britain’s child protection system had a “profound weakness” which “we have failed time and time again to correct”.

Sara’s MP in Woking, Will Forster, called for an immediate inquest to understand how the system let her down. He said: "It is heartbreaking to think of the warning signs that were missed that allowed her to die at the hands of those who were meant to protect her."

Surrey County Council said: “It is clear the perpetrators went to extreme lengths to conceal the truth from everyone.” It will now launch a safeguarding review, which is expected to appoint a cultural adviser.

Fifteen chances missed to save Sara

• January 2013: Sara was known to social services from the day she was born. She was made subject to a child protection plan at birth because of Urfan Sharif being accused of attacking three women including her mother, as well as hitting and biting two children. Yet, she was allowed to remain with her father.

• February 22, 2013: One month after Sara was born, social services and police were told that Sharif had slapped a child around the face. Nothing was done.

• May 7, 2013: When Sara was just four months old, a social worker spotted a burn mark on another child’s leg. Although Sharif failed to report the incident and claimed it was a barbecue accident, nothing was done to investigate.

• October 7, 2013: No action was taken when a child was seen with a burn mark made by a domestic iron. Sharif told social services in Surrey the child had bumped into the appliance.

• 2013 to 2014: A child told a social worker that Sharif smashed up a TV and punched Sara’s mother Olga.

• November 2014: Sara was taken into foster care after a child told a social worker about a bite mark. She later returned to live with her father following a family court hearing in October 2019 where social services recommended Sara lived with her father because that was her preference.

• January 2015: Sharif was reported to social services for ­waving a knife around at home in what he said was a zombie game. Social workers noted that Sharif hit and kicked Olga at home and the pair threatened to kill each other.

• February 2015: A child told their foster carer that Sharif used to hit them on the bottom with a belt. In September that year the child was heard to say to Sharif: “When you’re at home you hit and kick me every day.”

• 2015: Olga told social services about Sharif tightening a belt around her neck. Around this time social workers complained Sharif was coercive and derogatory towards them. A male social worker was then appointed to the family.

• December 2015: A child told a social worker they did not like Sharif because he punched them all over their body and gave them lots of bruises. Social workers saw Sara flinch when Sharif told her off during supervised contact and seem ­surprised when he cuddled her.

• June 6, 2022: A teacher reported Sara had a bruise under her eye, using the school’s online child protection monitoring system. Sara initially would not say what happened, before later saying another child hit her. Yet no referral was made to social services.

• March 10, 2023: When a teacher saw bruises on Sara’s face, Sara said she had fallen on roller skates. But she gave a different story to a safeguarding lead, and the school made a referral to social services. Six days later social services decided to take no further action. It is understood there had been no contact between social services and Sara’s family for four years at this point. Social services categorised the case as the second highest priority and asked other agencies for information. When nothing came back, the case was closed.

• March 20, 2023: A report was logged on the school’s internal system after Sara’s stepmother Beinash Batool was overheard referring to children as “motherf***er, sister f***er, b**** and whore” in the playground. But no details were passed to social services.
• March 28, 2023: Batool claimed a mark on Sara’s face was caused by a pen. The teacher told the school safeguarding lead.

• April 17, 2023: Sharif decided to home-school Sara. School staff rang the council for advice and were told they should make a referral if there were concerns. Staff saw Sara later that day at school pick-up and she seemed fine so they decided against it, even though she had been beaten earlier that day. She was never seen outside the home again.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel told The Sun: “Her death is a heartbreaking reminder of the profound weaknesses in our child protection system that, as a country, we have failed time and time again to correct.

"We have been here before — and each time we have said ‘never again’. Sara’s death must also bring about an immediate shift in how we protect children like her."

Rachael Wardell, executive director for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning at Surrey County Council, said: “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.”