Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:57pm on 13 Nov 2025,Thursday International
Council staff attempting to check on 10-year-old Sara Sharif went to the wrong address the day before her father and stepmother murdered her, a review revealed. Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, received life sentences after Sara's body was discovered following two years of abuse in Woking, Surrey. The review found Surrey services failed to identify abuse risks, didn't investigate unexplained bruising, and avoided questioning her sudden hijab-wearing due to "fear of causing offence", later revealed as concealing injuries. Despite bruising reports and behavioral changes, a social worker accepted Sharif's lies without consulting police regarding his domestic abuse history. Sara "effectively disappeared" after being removed for homeschooling, with the fatal address error preventing final intervention. (PC: BBC)
