Neighbors Heard Abuse and Torture of Murdered 10-Year-Old Before She 'Effectively Disappeared': Why Didn't They Call Police? By Samira Asma-Sadeque

A 10-year-old British girl who was brutally tortured and killed by her father and stepmother exhibited signs of severe abuse in the years leading up to her murder — but an inquiry report found her case was not sufficiently investigated.

Sara Sharif was killed in the southeastern British county of Surrey on Aug. 8, 2023, by her father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool, who were both convicted of murdering her last December, the BBC previously reported.

She had been hooded, burned and beaten during the abuse before she was killed, per the outlet.

An inquest into the circumstances surrounding Sara’s killing has found despite obvious signs of prolonged abuse, there were several ways in which she was failed, allegedly by the system and her neighbors, according to a copy of the report reviewed by PEOPLE.

In the report, which was obtained and shared online by BBC, officials claimed Sara’s schoolteacher had been proactive about looking into injuries and changes the child experienced.

In June 2022, when Sara appeared with a bruise under her left eye, she told the teacher it was caused by her sibling, per the report. Her stepmother also said the same when contacted by the teacher, who then notified the child protection and safeguarding worker.

The safeguarding worker “believed that the explanations were consistent,” the report said.

This was despite a history of abuse in Sara’s home that her half-sibling also suffered, which was known to officials, per the report.

In the months leading up to her murder, Sara was removed from her school and “effectively disappeared from view,” said part of the report.

“There are clearly 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,” authorities concluded in the report.

In August 2023, social services had visited the address listed on her paperwork — but it turned out to be an old address which had not been updated in the system, per the BBC.

The next day, Urfan and Batool killed the child, the outlet reported.

Another finding pertained to neighbors’ fears of what might happen if they notified police. Neighbors said they would hear the abuse and torture of Sara but were afraid to report it in fear their complaint might appear racially-biased, per the report.

Abuse in immigrant families can often go underreported when family members themselves are afraid that reporting the abuser might draw race-related backlash, per studies.

“Anti-immigrant sentiments further compound the plight of all immigrants, heightening their insular existence and their suspicion of outsiders, including agents of the justice system,” a 2003 National Institute of Justice study claimed.

In Sara’s case, “while understanding [the neighbors’] point of view,” the report noted, “this is concerning that race was a bar to reporting possible child abuse and it needs to be overcome.”

The report cited a study that “suggests that it is ‘white fragility’ — or a defensiveness — that is triggered when white individuals, even those who consider themselves to be progressive, encounter racial stress. This can result in individuals turning away from honest dialogue about racism, focusing instead on their own feelings of victimization rather than on the person or people of colour who have been interpersonally and/or systemically harmed.”

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The report made several recommendations including comprehensive check-ins by police into a child’s homeschooling and for safeguarding practitioners to better understand how abusers operate.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.