Coroner Rejects Anonymity for 3 Surrey Staff in Sara Sharif Inquest
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 18
Coroner Rejects Anonymity for 3 Surrey Staff in Sara Sharif Inquest
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 18
Summary
Senior coroner Richard Travers refused Surrey County Council’s bid to keep three staff members anonymous when they give evidence at the Sara Sharif inquest.
Travers said the council had not shown anonymity was justified, ruling that the workers’ Article 8 privacy rights were outweighed by the media’s Article 10 rights and the principle of open justice.
Surrey had argued naming the employees could harm their health and family lives and even stop them working; the BBC, Times Media and Guardian opposed the request.
Sara, 10, was found dead in Woking in August 2023 after prolonged abuse. Her father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool received life sentences in December 2024, while her uncle Faisal Malik was jailed for 16 years.
The inquest, due in October 2027, will examine wider safeguarding failures after reviews found social services missed abuse risks, including a home visit to the wrong address the day before Sara was murdered.