Fury as judge prevents Press from naming colleague who put Sara Sharif in evil father’s care
A JUDGE is facing fury for preventing the Press from naming a colleague who put Sara Sharif in her killer father’s care.
Mr Justice Williams barred media outlets from identifying the family court decision maker, claiming some “will not” report it “fairly and accurately”.
He argued that, once in the public domain, the information “is available to anyone” and suggested a social media “lynch mob” could make known the judge’s address and movements.
And he said naming individuals would be like “holding the lookout on the Titanic responsible for its sinking”.
Outraged MPs said the ruling was an affront to open justice and set a dangerous precedent.
Tory Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant and the full facts of this case must be known, including who made these decisions.”
An appeal by media outlets, including The Sun, on public interest grounds will be heard in January.
The family court repeatedly returned Sara, left, to her family despite Surrey council’s “significant concerns”.
Dad Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmum Beinash Batool, 30, were last week jailed for life for ten-year-old Sara’s horrific abuse and murder in Woking.