Murdered Sara Sharif 'was failed by the safeguarding system' as officials feared being called racist

She was found dead in a bunkbed at the family home after her father fled to Pakistan, leaving a handwritten note saying he had "lost it".

Criminal proceedings concluded in December 2024, that saw father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool being found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Sharif's brother, Faisal Malik, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and sentenced to 16 years.

Following this, a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review commenced, finding Sara had been "failed" by the safeguarding system throughout her life.

The 62-page report details how there are "several points in Sara’s life, in particular during the last few months, where different actions could and should have been taken and the system failed to keep her safe".

The report added: "But it should not be forgotten that at the heart of Sara’s life and death is a violent woman, and a violent man who was capable of grooming and manipulating those around him.

"Many times, professionals recognised the risk to Sara from the adults looking after her, most notably her father, and steps were taken to try and keep her safe. Ultimately these steps failed."

The review also details how the father failed to complete "perpetrator programmes".

"Father was able to lie about successfully completing the programme, a position he maintained when he spoke to the lead reviewers. Even if he had attended, simply attending the programme would not be a reliable indicator of positive progress without other evidence of change being present," the document explained.

The review found that Surrey Children's services "did not identify that Sara was at risk of being abused", while "robust safeguarding processes were not followed."

After her birth in 2013, Sara was immediately placed on a child protection plan and later placed in foster care after her biological mother, Olga Domin, accused Sara's father of domestic abuse.

The report detailed how the seriousness of the allegations were "not recognised" sufficiently and there was an "assumption" that simply attending group programmes was all that was needed for safeguarding.

In response to the document, the partners of the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership said: "As a Partnership, we would like to express our sorrow and sincere condolences to anyone affected by Sara’s tragic death.

"People who knew Sara described her as a beautiful little girl with a lovely smile and a loud laugh, and we must honour her legacy by understanding what happened and strengthening our practice to help protect children.

"Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings in December 2024, a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review proceeded, and has subsequently been published by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership today.

"The review was independently authored and reviewed the practice of all agencies involved with Sara’s family, throughout the entirety of her life.

"Whilst it is clear Sara was murdered by adults who should have loved and cared for her, and who are ultimately responsible for her death, the review has found points of learning for the child protection system both locally and nationally.

"All agencies represented by the Partnership take the findings of this report extremely seriously and will work urgently together to agree a joint action plan that puts in place the local learnings from the review.

"Progress against this action plan will be closely monitored to ensure all partners are working together to keep children in Surrey safe."