---

Judges who oversaw Sara Sharif hearings named

Three England-and-Wales judges who oversaw Family Court hearings involving murdered 10-year-old Sara Sharif can be named today (31 January) following a legal appeal.

Sara's father Urfan Sharif (43) and stepmother Beinash Batool (30) were jailed for life in December for the child’s murder in Woking, Surrey in 2023.

After these convictions, the press published details from previous Family Court hearings relating to Sara's care before her death.

However, a High Court ruling prevented naming of the three judges involved in the case – Judge Alison Raeside – who sat on most of the hearings, Judge Peter Nathan, and Judge Sally Williams.

Mr Justice Williams, who made the initial High Court order, stated that there had been a "real risk" of harm to the judges from a "virtual lynch mob".

Several media organisations, including the BBC, appealed, arguing that judges must expect "their decision-making to be the subject of public scrutiny".

Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos found in favour of the press (24 January) saying "the whole idea of anonymising the judge was, I have to say, misguided".

The BBC has reported that Judge Alison Raeside sat on the earliest hearings involving Sara, the last one, and most of the hearings in between.

Six days old

Sara Sharif’s name came up for mention in the Family Court on 17 January 2013 when she was six days old, when Surrey County Council sought an interim care order for Sara and two of her siblings.

That hearing was before Judge Raeside, sitting as a family judge at Guildford County Court.

The court heard concerns that Sara and her siblings were "not adequately supervised", and had "unexplained injuries".

The judge was also told that Urfan Sharif had subjected Sara's mother Olga Sharif to domestic abuse.

In November 2010, there had been allegations that Urfan Sharif had beaten Olga Sharif and Sara's older siblings.

Police had then been called to the home on three occasions in 2011 and 2012 after complaints of further domestic abuse.

The BBC reports that Judge Raeside decided against a care order and made an interim supervision order instead, saying that Sara and her siblings could stay with their parents under the supervision of Surrey County Council Children's Services while further assessments were prepared.

In November 2014, the case was back before the Family Court after one of Sara's siblings said Olga had bitten them.

Foster care

Surrey council made an urgent application for the children to be taken into foster care.

The judge who ordered the anonymity of the judges said that, if anything, it was the system rather than individuals that should be held up to public scrutiny.

In his initial ruling, Mr Justice Williams said: "In this case, the evidence suggests that social workers, guardians, lawyers, and judiciary acted within the parameters that law and social-work practice set for them.

"Certainly, to my reasonably well-trained eye, there is nothing (save the benefit of hindsight) which indicates that the decisions reached in 2013, 2015 or 2019 were unusual or unexpected.

"Based on what was known at the time, and applying the law at the time, I don't see the judge or anyone else having any real alternative option," he stated.

The naming of the judges comes just days after new rules came in permitting reporting from family courts in England and Wales.