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Questions must be answered over Sara murder, PM says

Reuters A handout image shows Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl whose father and stepmother have been convicted of her murder. At the time the image was taken, she was four. She had long brown hair and is seen looking into the camera. Reuters

Questions need to be answered over the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, as ministers prepare "stronger safeguards" for children being taught at home.

Sara's father and stepmother were found guilty of her murder on Wednesday, in a case Sir Keir described as "awful".

It comes as the government said it would introduce a new duty so that parents need local authority consent to home-school children if the child is subject to a protection plan.

Speaking earlier, Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, said it was "madness" that the law currently allows parents to take a child out of school, even if concerns had already been raised.

The new proposals would include a child identifier, to act like an NHS number, with a requirement for every council to have multi-agency child safeguarding teams.

"We clearly need answers as to how this could have happened. We're focused on doing everything within our power to stop this type of terrible crime happening again," a No 10 spokesperson said.

Sara was removed from school after her father and stepmother became aware her teachers had spoken to social services.

Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, were convicted of Sara's murder on Wednesday after a trial heard they had subjected her to two years of horrific abuse.

Surrey County Council, which was told of concerns for Sara's welfare, has launched an independent review into its handling of the case.

Meanwhile, the government is planning a Children's Wellbeing Bill that it says will make "changes to ensure children are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly".

Asked whether the government would ban smacking children in the bill, Starmer said: "Obviously there are going to be questions that need to be answered in relation to this case.

"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to think that whatever the rules on smacking are that's got anything to do with this case.

"This is about violence. It's about abuse. It's about making sure that [there are] protecting safeguards for children, particularly those being home-schooled. So that's where I think the questions are."

Warning: This article contains descriptions of physical abuse

Sara's body was found with dozens of injuries - including burns and probable human bite marks - at the family's home in Woking, Surrey, in the early hours of 10 August last year.

She had been killed two days before, prompting Sharif and the rest of the family to flee to Pakistan.

Around an hour after landing, Sharif called police in England and told the operator that he had killed Sara.

In the months before Sara's death, teachers at her school raised concerns with Surrey County Council's social services about bruises on her body.

An investigation was opened but closed again six days later, and after becoming aware of the referral Sharif and Batool took Sara out of school altogether.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Dame Rachel said they should never have been allowed to do so.

"If a child is [the] suspected [victim] of abuse, they cannot be educated at home," she said.

"Being in school is a safeguard. They are safer under the eyes of teachers.

"We cannot let a child who is at risk... at home go and be educated at home. It's madness."

About 111,700 children were in home education in England on census day in autumn 2024, according to government data.

Dame Rachel said the bill should introduce a register of all children being educated at home, which does not currently exist.

She added that there should be greater data sharing between health and education services as well as between different areas of the country to make sure children at risk can be identified.

She also called for an end to an exemption in assault laws that allows for the "reasonable chastisement" of children.

Surrey County Council has said that, now the trial has concluded, an independent safeguarding review of the case will take place.

Rachael Wardell, the council's executive director for children, said: "We are resolute in our commitment to protecting children, and we are determined to play a full and active part in the forthcoming review alongside partner agencies, to thoroughly understand the wider circumstances surrounding Sara's tragic death."