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Britain

Sara Sharif case: journalists win appeal to name family court judges

2025-01-25

[Bureau of Investigative Journalism] Journalists including a TBIJ reporter have won an appeal to name the judges who oversaw the family court proceedings relating to the care of Sara Sharif before she was murdered.

Bottom line is a habitually violent Pakistani father, a mentally disabled mother, a girl child with learning disabilities who had been physically and mentally abused and/or neglected her entire ten years of life, and a child services system that took her and her older brother from their mother and gave them to the father despite his record. Many reports that the girl was abused over the years, but she was left in the home where Dad ended up murdering her with the help of his current wife.

The landmark ruling, handed down by three court of appeal judges, represents a defence of open justice and a recognition of the media’s role in scrutinising decisions made by the courts.

It comes ahead of new transparency rules being rolled out across family courts in England and Wales after the success of a two-year reporting pilot.

The ban on naming the judges was imposed by Mr Justice Williams at a high court hearing in December. The judge permitted the release of dozens of documents relating to the welfare of 10-year-old Sara, who was placed in the care of her father and stepmother. They were jailed for her murder last month.

However, he also said the media could not name three circuit judges who had overseen the family proceedings — as well as other third parties including social workers guardians — due to the risk of harm from a "virtual lynch mob".

At an appeal hearing earlier this month, it was argued that this "unprecedented" order could not be justified.

On Friday, the court of appeal ruled that anonymising the judges was "misguided" and that Williams made the order without any legal basis.

In a judgment, master of the rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos wrote: "In the circumstances of this case, the judge had no jurisdiction to anonymise the historic judges either on 9 December 2024 or thereafter. He was wrong to do so."

The ban will be lifted in seven days, giving the judges time to prepare themselves and for any protective measures to be put in place.

Posted by:Besoeker

Manipulating the selection of courts and judges, it's not just a UK phenomenon.

Posted by: Besoeker 2025-01-25 05:22

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