How media organisations fought to uncover the story of Sara Sharif

By Callum Parke, Reporter12th December 2024News EnglandChild Abuse, Courts / Justice, Domestic Abuse / Violence, News England, Surrey

Reporting of details from previous court proceedings concerning Sara Sharif and her family comes after efforts by several media organisations and journalists to be allowed to see and publish information about her case.

High Court judge Mr Justice Williams approved an order on Thursday which allowed several documents from previous family court proceedings concerning Sara and her family, including those that showed social services had concerns about her care around the time she was born in 2013, to be given to the media, and information from them published.

It came after he rejected a similar request by the PA news agency, the BBC and journalists Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers in June.

He said that bid was “capable of renewal” at a later stage, with the same organisations, and several others, again applying earlier in December to publish the information.

The case came amid efforts to increase transparency in the family court system.

Previously, reporters had access to courts dealing with sensitive matters involving children, despite them being closed to the public.

However, reporting has been highly restricted to only what a judge will allow, to protect the identities of those involved.

A transparency pilot scheme was introduced last year, allowing accredited journalists and legal bloggers to access three family courts – Leeds, Cardiff and Carlisle – and report on cases more freely.

This was expanded earlier this year to allow accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases in 16 courts across England and Wales as they happen, as they would do in the criminal courts.

They included East London Family Court, as well as Manchester, Nottingham, the Central Family Court in London and others.

While the identities of the families and certain professionals involved remain protected, judges can set out what details may be reported under a transparency order, with journalists also allowed to access some documents.

Families can also talk to a journalist about their case without risking punishment for contempt of court.

Judges can still decide that some cases may not be reported on or that reporting should be postponed in certain circumstances.

On Wednesday, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were convicted of Sara’s murder, with her uncle, Faisal Malik, found guilty of causing or allowing her death, after a trial at the Old Bailey.

They will be sentenced on Tuesday.