Judges in Sara Sharif Case Named After Appeal

The identities of three judges involved in the family court proceedings concerning Sara Sharif have been revealed following a Court of Appeal ruling, which overturned a previous ban on naming them. Judge Alison Raeside, Judge Peter Nathan, and Judge Sally Williams were involved in proceedings that ultimately placed Sara in the care of her father, Urfan Sharif, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, who were later convicted of her murder. The decision to allow the media to name the judges comes after a successful appeal by media organizations, challenging the original ruling that claimed there was a 'real risk' of harm to the judges from a 'virtual lynch mob'. The Court of Appeal decided that the public interest in open justice outweighed these concerns. The media was previously allowed to report that Surrey County Council had longstanding concerns about Sara’s care, which dated back to 2010, two years before she was born. The council had repeatedly raised concerns about neglect and abuse, involving Sara and her siblings, in the years leading up to her tragic death.