Bombshell report on Sara Sharif’s killer dad won’t be released | UK | News
A damning report on Sara Sharif’s father will not be published to protect the killer’s data protection rights, it has been revealed. Surrey County Council reportedly refused to publish the bombshell review, claiming it could violate Urfan Şerif’s rights.
A bombshell investigation in November revealed the failure of authorities who contacted Sara to say the girl should never have been placed in the care of her father and stepmother. The details revealed that social workers had evidence that the Sheriff had been subjected to “extensive and far-reaching domestic violence” before killing 10-year-old Sara, but that this was “lost in the system”.
The primary school girl was killed in August 2023 after being subjected to what was described as “torture” during a violent series of abuse that left the 10-year-old covered in fractures, bruises and burns.
Sara’s body was found in the bunk bed in the family’s home after her father, Urfan Sharif, called from Pakistan and confessed to “beating” and “killing” his little daughter.
Sharif was previously ordered to attend a domestic violence perpetrators program in 2016 after Sara’s mother accused Sharif of hitting her and her children.
He admitted experiencing “extensive and widespread domestic abuse” but attended only eight of 26 sessions. Experts later said there was “not enough evidence” that he had changed his behavior.
The review found that although the report made “shocking reading”, a social worker had failed to complete the analysis and it was not added to Sara’s safeguarding file.
As a result, the judge placed Sara in the care of her father, without being fully aware of the risk posed by a man who had been attacking women and children for 16 years.
Shortly thereafter, the Sheriff began abusing his daughter in actions that a judge would later regard as among the worst crimes he had ever faced.
Sara suffered more than 100 injuries. He was tied up, had a plastic bag duct-taped over his head, and was beaten with a cricket bat, metal pole and rolling pin. He was also strangled, burned with an iron, and bitten.
Despite the findings, Surrey County Council refused to release the domestic abuse report under Freedom of Information laws, saying publication would breach the Sheriff’s data protection rights. Daily Mail.
Woking MP Will Forster called for the council to be put into special measures.
He said: “This is absolutely appalling. This man is in prison for the murder of his daughter and Surrey County Council deals with data protection. If they cared so much about protecting vulnerable children this might never have happened.”
“This report was an opportunity to save him, but he got lost in the system. Now it’s about avoiding responsibility.”
It was also revealed that the Sheriff had been given permission by the council to transport children with special educational needs before Sara’s death, after intelligence was not shared between departments.
A review of child protection practice published last November found professionals were aware of Sara’s unexplained injuries from birth but failed to “connect the dots”.
The review stated that the risk posed by Şerif was “ignored, failed to take action and underestimated by almost all professionals.”
Sharif fled to Pakistan with his wife, Beinash Batool, before being extradited after Sara’s death. The couple were sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2024.
A council spokesman said: “This request relates to personal data of a living person. Data protection legislation determines what can and cannot be shared about a person’s data and, as a public authority, Surrey County Council must comply with all data protection principles when processing personal data.”
Council leader Tim Oliver added: “An independent safeguarding review was published last year. We are deeply sorry for the findings which concern us as a local authority. We take the findings extremely seriously.”
