Council visited wrong home before Sara Sharif's murder

According to a report, council workers tried to check on 10-year-old Sara Sharif the day before she was killed by her father and stepmother, but the wrong address was discovered. Sara suffered with abuse before her body was discovered in 2023 at the family's house in Woking, Surrey. Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, were sentenced to life in prison for her murder. The findings in the study were deeply regret by Surrey County Council, according to the company.

Warning: This story contains distressing details

The authority said it had taken robust action to report the findings and that it would continue to implement every recommendation in full.

The child safeguarding report, which was released on Thursday, looked at how companies collaborated in the aftermath of Sara's assassination and what lessons can be learned. According to the report,

the seriousness and import of [Sharif] as a serial perpetrator of domestic violence was ignored.

Sara's father and stepmother were a lethal combination,it said.They should never have been trusted with Sara's care, and with hindsight. According to the report, there were

clearly many points in Sara's life, including the last few months, in which different conduct may have and should have taken

by the authorities. The device failed to keep her safe, the woman said.

The investigation also found that it was not properly investigated why Sara started wearing a hijab, although an occupational therapist was reluctant to comment on it because of its

fear of causing offence. She later discovered that she wore one to mask her bruises. If they expressed reservations, neighbors said they

feared being branded as racist" if they shared concerns.

During the era of violence, Sara was hooded, sparked, and beaten. A post-mortem examination revealed that she had suffered dozens of ailments, including human bite marks, an iron burn, and scalding from hot water. The Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership, which is made up of police, local health departments, and the council's children's services, has funded the investigation.

According to the survey, Bruising was first noted on Sara in June 2022. Staff at St Mary's Primary School in West Byfleet, West Byfield, contacted Surrey Children's Services after discovering three bruises on her face, one the size of a

golf ball. She had been off school for two days, with the family claiming she was ill. The support request was deemed amber, implying that no action was taken within 24 hours. According to the report, Surrey Children's Services did not conduct any checks with Surrey Police, which was aware of Sharif's history of domestic violence. It also did not consult the academy, who had noticed Sara change from being bubbly to

quiet and coy

– pulling her hijab down over her face. Sara had marks from being hooked up to machinery when she was born, according to the study. No further social work action was decided. Despite being

highly unusual for such a young child,

the investigation found that Sara started wearing a hijab from the age of eight. It was later discovered that she wore one to mask her bruises, according to the journal. The visit was by a newly qualified occupational therapist, but the writer was reticent to talk about Sara's hijab for

fear of causing offence. Neighbours also told the study that they had been reluctant to voice reservations because they

feared being branded as racist, especially on social media.

Race was a barrier to reporting suspected child abuse,the study found, and thatprofessionals never investigated how [her Pakistani roots] affected Sara.

Sharif's daughter was later transferred from school to home-schooled. Sara effectively disappeared from this position, according to the report. Sara's new Woking school address was given to the council to ensure that employees could do a home visit as part of the school's homeschooling policy. However, the device was not updated, so when the home education team decided to visit on August 7, 2023, they went to her old address. The staff learned the error back at the office but decided not to return again until September, according to the report. Sara was killed the following day. Sara would have suffered unbelievable physical injuries during the failed visit, according to the report.

It's important that Sara's legacy is a more cohesive home-schooling system, with appropriate safeguards for all children,

the report said.

Sara's death, according to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, was an appalling tragedy.The report rightly emphasizes the glaring inconsistencies and missed opportunities in all departments,she said.We will take every measure to ensure that no child is left invisible to the services that are there to keep them safe,

she said. The report, according to children's Commissioner Rachel de Souza,

rightly acknowledges our collective outrageand that it will never happen again.Change is critical

says Sara, who was killed in Sara's preventable murder, and children are still dying.

Surrey Police said on Thursday that what happened to Sara was one of the most shocking and tragic incidents the service had ever investigated. Sara did at the hands of those who should have shown her only love,

No child should ever have to suffer what Sara did.

Assistant Chief Constable Tanya Jones said. The department said it would collaborate with its partners to carry out the study's conclusions.

'Groomed and manipulated'

The study's researchers, former senior social worker Jane Wonnacott, and former murder investigator Dr Russell Wate, said the lack of inquiries into children's services to police was surprising. Sara's child wasa chance to find

her abuse, according to them. The council had a slew of documents describing the family's involvement with police and social care, but the study found that

there was no time to investigate this in depth. There was an overdependence on Sharif's account rather than deciding that more time was required to analyze the data, it said. Sharif groomed and manipulated the professionals who might have aided Sara, as well as the 10-year-old herself, who almost always appeared loyal to her father, according to the study. In recent years, Surrey County Council Chief Executive Terence Herbert said that children's services had gone from inadequate to good.We are absolutely determined to keep making changes that will continue to help keep children safe,he said.The research does not find a single solution to all of the reasons that impacted Sara or held any single company accountable.

Woking MP Will Forster has requested that the council's children's services be placed into special arrangements straight away,

he said, adding that senior council officers should be held accountable. Sara had been involved with her children's Services and the Family Court in Surrey long before she was born. She was almost taken into custody twice before, but the court refused to allow it every time. There was a dispute about which of her birth parents should have custody of her child when she appeared in court for the third time. However, critical information regarding children's services' extensive involvement with Sara was not included in a study submitted before the judge by an inexperienced social worker, according to the investigation. Sara's murder at the Old Bailey in December 2024 was found guilty by Sharif and Batool. He was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison, while Batool received a maximum of 33 years. Faisal Malik, Sara's uncle, was also sentenced to 16 years in prison for causing or allowing her death. Follow BBC Surrey onFacebookorX. [social media reacted] We on 08081 002250. Send your story ideas [[social media] us.