The Slow Newscast Sara Sharif: one judge, three court cases and a murder
May 6, 2025
In this gripping exploration, Lucy Reed Casey, a family barrister and chair of The Transparency Project, unpacks the tragic tale of Sara Sharif. She delves into the chilling judicial decisions that granted parental responsibility to those who ultimately caused Sara’s suffering. The discussion reveals systemic failures in protecting vulnerable children, the complexities surrounding custody battles in abusive environments, and the tough dilemmas faced by judges. Lucy emphasizes the urgent need for reform in family courts to prevent such tragedies in the future.
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2019 Court Decision Critical
- The 2019 family court hearing formally placed Sara in the care of her father and stepmother who later murdered her.
- Documents show Ola and Irfan agreed to this, with social workers eager to close the case, illustrating systemic challenges.
Judicial Limits in Family Cases
- Judges face a binary system in private law cases; they must decide if something happened or not.
- They cannot place children in foster care without criminal convictions or higher court orders, limiting preventative intervention.
Serious Allegations Without Convictions
- Police national computer checks revealed serious safeguarding concerns about Irfan Sharif involving controlling and violent behavior.
- Despite this, there were no convictions, complicating court decisions about risk to children.