The stepmother of murdered 10–year–old Sara Sharif has been told an inquest into her death will ‘not be a retrial’ – after she asked for it to be held with a ‘diverse’ jury.

Beinash Batool was jailed for life following the discovery of the schoolgirl’s body in a house in Woking on August 10 2023.

In acts described by a judge as the worst crime he had ever encountered, the child suffered more than 100 injuries when she was tied up and a plastic bag was secured over her head with parcel tape.

She was then battered with a cricket bat, metal pole and a rolling pin, strangled until her neck broke, burnt with an iron and bitten.

Sara’s father Urfan Sharif and Batool were jailed for minimum terms of 40 years and 33 years respectively in December 2024.

Her uncle Faisal Malik was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years.

Batool has now requested that an inquest into Sara’s death is held with a ‘diverse’ and ‘local’ jury.

Representing Batool, Anton van Dellen argued at a pre–inquest review at Surrey’s Coroner’s Court today that there was sufficient reason for a jury to attend.

Beinash Batool, the stepmother of Sara Sharif, was  jailed for life for murder

Alison Hewitt, counsel to the inquest, said the inquest’s scope would be decided during further hearings.

The court was told previously it could consider whether fear of accusations of racism affected the response to managing and responding to safeguarding concerns around Sara’s treatment.

On this item, Mr van Dellen asked that the coroner may consider ‘a diverse local jury would be well positioned to evaluate’.

Batool and Sharif attended the hearing via video links from prison.

Senior coroner Richard Travers said whether the inquest will be held with a jury would be put on the agenda for the next pre–inquest review.

But he informed Batool at one point in the hearing that the inquest ‘was not a retrial’.

He said: ‘These inquest proceedings are not a retrial – you understand that, don’t you?

‘We are not going behind any findings that were made by the criminal court.’

Sara Sharif pictured in the hijab she started wearing to cover the bruises inflicted by her father

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The next pre–inquest review will be held on September 10 and the full inquest into Sara’s death is set to begin next April.

A safeguarding report previously found that in the run–up to the 10–year–old’s murder, neighbours heard bloodcurdling screams but failed to report it as they ‘feared being branded as being racist, especially on social media’.

An occupational therapist sent to the home two years before she was killed noted that Sara, then aged eight, was the only person in the house wearing a hijab but failed to question it, ‘although she has reflected that she may have been reticent to talk about it for fear of causing offence’.

It was later revealed the head covering was hiding bruises inflicted on Sara by her father and stepmother.

The review said it was ‘concerning that race was a bar to reporting possible child abuse’, noting that ‘white fragility – or a defensiveness’ is ‘triggered when white individuals encounter racial stress’ causing them to focus on their ‘own feelings of victimisation’ rather than those being harmed.

The Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership found there were at least four missed opportunities to save ‘a beautiful little girl with a lovely smile and a loud laugh,’ concluding ‘different actions could and should have been taken and the system failed to keep her safe.’

England’s Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, said Sara was ‘killed by those who should have loved her, but let down by every service.’

The Muslim schoolgirl was beaten to death by her father Urfan Sharif after the risk posed by the serial domestic abuser was ‘overlooked, not acted on and underestimated by almost all professionals’ despite his 16–year history of attacking women and children, according to the safeguarding review.

Urfan Sharif was jailed for life for murder after the risk posed by the serial domestic abuser was ‘overlooked, not acted on and underestimated by almost all professionals’

Following her death in August 2023, Sara’s 43–year–old father fled to his native Pakistan with his accomplice wife Batool, 30, before phoning 999 to confess to the killing, thinking he had got away with it.

But he was captured and extradited to face trial at the Old Bailey where the pair were jailed for life.

Last month it emerged Sara’s five siblings would remain with their grandfather, who they had been living with in Jhelum, Pakistan since October 2023.

Their future whereabouts, and who would ultimately hold custody of them, were at the centre of a two–and–a–half year court battle in Pakistan between the UK council and the family.

The children were made wards of court in England after their sister’s death, and Surrey County Council has since been pushing for their return to the UK.

However the local authority can no longer continue its legal action in Pakistan. The council had been seeking jurisdiction over the children through the Pakistani courts, but proceedings in the UK are drawing to a close.

While the final decision remains pending, neither of the possible outcomes would result in the children returning to Britain, despite an English court order requiring their return.

The grandfather’s lawyer argued the children hold dual nationality and will be free to return to the UK in the future should they choose to do so.

Contractors have been brought in, more staff hired and a dedicated team have worked to tackle void times in between lets.

More than £1m has been invested in West Lothian in a drive to cut the length of time council houses are left empty between tenants.

Contractors have been brought in, more staff hired and a dedicated team have worked to tackle void times in between lets.

IT has seen an eight day reduction in the turnaround time and more than 1,300 homes with repairs completed in the last year- and more than a thousand homes let.

In a report to the council’s Housing services committee officer pointed to successes since the formation of an interdepartmental voids team to tackle a huge backlog of repairs.

Problems facing the council had been exacerbated by the poor condition of the majority of homes returned as voids- many needing major refit .

The council decided in its annual budget to set aside £1.2 m for contractors to help council staff complete housing improvements.

The current re-letting performance for 2026/27 (April & May) is 64.57 days, a further reduction of 6 days from 2025/26.

The service has rented 10% more properties in the first two months of 26/27 than the same period last year.

The void team brings officers from building services and housing under one roof for joint working to reduce delays in getting homes back out to tenants.

A new agreement between the Council and Scottish Gas provides utility support throughout the time homes are empty.

A total of 1,022 homes were let in the last year. Whitburn and Blackburn saw the most homes, with 90 mainstream tenancies and 145 temporary tenancies agreed.

In Livingston 183 homes were let across the two council wards; in Bathgate 150, Armadale 128 and Broxburn 105.

Other wards saw Breich Valley 136; East Livingston and East Calder 46 and Linlithgow 39.

A report to the committee said the council planned to “reduce the overall number of void properties within the service through a consistent approach to management.”

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Anneliese Midgley, one of the key figures in Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign, has been promoted to the cabinet in the role of chief whip.

She has only been the MP for Knowsley, not far from Makerfield, since 2024 but she has been an influential force in the Labour movement for much longer than that, working for both Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn in opposition, following stints at the TUC.

She has spoken about how, when she was growing up, her family’s life was changed by the “secure, well-paid, unionised job” her father got at a car factory.

Before her political career, music lover Midgey ran club nights in Liverpool, worked in record shops and helped bands including Pulp with press.

She was briefly married to Bob Stanley, a member of indie group Saint Etienne, and has told how the couple shared their first kiss on hearing that Tory grandee and TV personality Michael Portillo had lost his seat in the 1997 election.

Pan Asia Buffet, an all-you-can-eat restaurant has taken over the former Flaming Fusion Buffet unit inside Game On, the leisure venue at Bishop Auckland Retail Park.

The new buffet opened on July 18 after being announced on social media earlier this month.

The new entertainment hub, Game on, which opened at Bishop Auckland Retail Park (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Before opening, Game On told customers: “We’ve got some exciting news!

“With a brand new team and a brand new Pan Asian buffet… coming very soon in a couple of weeks!

“Keep an eye out for our opening date.”

The new entertainment hub, Game on, which opened at Bishop Auckland Retail Park (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The venue added: “It’s a new team we’ve got who’s opened many excellent Asian restaurants.

“We’re doing things differently this time and I’m sure that will be reflected in the food and service.”

A separate post said: “Taste Asia in every bite. Pan Asian Buffet coming soon to Bishop Auckland Retail Park, all you can eat.”

Game On opened in September last year between PureGym and Kosmic Kingdom at Bishop Auckland Retail Park, offering tenpin bowling, adventure golf, pool, darts, and arcade games.

When the venue first launched, Flaming Fusion Buffet also opened upstairs, serving a range of cuisines including Indian and American food.

Flaming Fusion Buffet has since closed, with the newly opened Pan-Asian buffet now operating from the same space.

Born in Doncaster, Keegan started his career at Scunthorpe before being signed for Liverpool by Shankly in 1971.

While at Anfield, Keegan struck up a formidable partnership with Welshman John Toshack, going on to win the First Division title three times as well as the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup twice and the 1977 European Cup.

Following that success, Keegan joined West German side Hamburg and was twice named European Footballer of the Year. He is the only British player to have won the award, which is now called the Ballon d’Or, more than once.

Keegan returned to England with Southampton in the summer of 1980 before moving to Second Division Newcastle, helping the club win promotion back to the top flight – only to then retire.

He won 63 England caps, scoring 21 goals, playing at the 1982 World Cup and was also later captain of the national team.

In 1992, Keegan made his first step into management at Newcastle, leading them into the Premier League and to within touching distance of the 1995-96 title, but they missed out to Manchester United.

The Ootsider, which makes all weather coats, will see 25 of the garments donated to Glasgow’s homeless community.

West Lothian-based social enterprise The Ootsider, which makes all weather coats, has been boosted by a four-figure donation which will see 25 of the garments donated to Glasgow’s homeless community.

Since being founded by local man John Keogh in 2022, the customised outdoor coats and changing robes have been popular with the likes of wild swimmers, campers, equestrian enthusiasts and hill walkers.

These convert from a coat and bag during the day to a sleeping bag at night to keep the wearer warm and dry even in the worst conditions.

The range now also includes wheelchair coats and specialist Parkinson’s jackets.

The Community Interest Company (CIC) ploughs profits from sales into the production and subsequent donation of sleeping coats for the UK’s homeless and rough sleepers, with to date more than 400 coats having been given free of charge to those most in need.

Thanks to the anonymous donation of £4000, a further 25 will now be manufactured and distributed to those sleeping rough on the streets in Glasgow

Welcoming the unexpected gesture, The Ootsider chief executive John Keogh said: “There is more and more pressure being put on temporary accommodation and night shelters in Glasgow.

“As the homelessness crisis continues to grow in the city, it’s important to know there are incredible people out there.

Many of these people do good but want absolutely no recognition for it. They do it because it’s the right thing to do.

“We were honoured to be approached to supply our sleeping coats to help rough sleepers. It’s an incredible and humbling gesture.”

The coats will be made at the company’s new manufacturing base in Pumpherston having previously been made in Dumfries.

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The BBC has confirmed that the hit sitcom is returning for a one-off Christmas special set in Italy, with filming already underway.

The BBC has already begun to tease Christmas TV, and a “gem” comedy has been confirmed to return.

After the likes of Gavin and Stacey and Outnumbered made their comebacks for festive specials, it’s no surprise that another “perfect British comedy” is set to return.

The BBC has confirmed Greg Davies will reprise his role as crime scene cleaner Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead in The Cleaner in Italy, reports the Mirror.

The Taskmaster star will join Robert Webb, Peter Serafinowicz, Kevin Eldon, Tori Allen-Martin, Veronica Ferres, Zita Sattar, Milanka Brooks and Dylan Blore.

Filming has already begun, with Greg revealing: “I think Wicky has got to the stage in life where he only likes three things: his job, going to the pub and beer.

“To get the opportunity to force him to go to Italy on a hiking holiday is the perfect opportunity to test his breaking point. I can’t wait to show everyone how horribly wrong a holiday can go…”

The BBC also teased the plot, sharing: “In the show’s first ever hour-long special, which began filming this week, Wicky reluctantly joins his girlfriend Ruth (Zita Sattar) and her friends Andrew and Andrea (Robert Webb and Tori Allen-Martin) on a hiking holiday in the Italian Dolomites.

“When an accident occurs, he’s forced to spend the rest of the trip at a remote mountain hotel while Ruth heads off to enjoy the great outdoors.

“Surrounded by an eccentric hotel manager (Peter Serafinowicz), an array of peculiar guests, and a cast of increasingly suspicious staff, Wicky’s boredom soon turns to paranoia…”

Fans were left rejoicing as the news was shared on social media, with one writing: “Yippee, I just started watching The Cleaner today and I absolutely love it and Greg.”

Another celebrated the “fantastic news”, as someone else said: “Thank you, Auntie Beeb, that’s just what I wanted in my Christmas stocking xxx.”

“Loved the last series,” someone else said, as another wrote: “Can’t wait”.

Two years after the third season of The Cleaner aired in 2024, Greg teased more was yet to come on a recent appearance on The One Show.

He said: “I’ve been told I’m not allowed to say much, but all I can tell you is, it’s not over. The Cleaner is not finished, we’re working on something.”

He added: “I’ll be writing, yes, but I am not allowed to tell you what form it’s in. Something is happening, I’m writing it. I’m chuffed that Wicky is coming back.”

The Cleaner is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Andy Burnham has made the surprise appointment of John Healey as his chancellor, as he ruthlessly purged the cabinet after entering Downing Street, promising a “circuit-breaker” moment for Britain.

It follows weeks of speculation that Mr Burnham was planning to give the job to Ed Miliband or Shabana Mahmood, but there were fears either choice would be divisive within the Labour Party. Mr Miliband will instead be foreign secretary and Ms Mahmood will remain as home secretary.

In a post on X, Ms Mahmood said she would continue with immigration reform. “It is an honour to remain as home secretary in Andy Burnham’s cabinet. I may be biased, but it’s the best job in the business,” she said.

Louise Haigh, who managed Mr Burnham’s Makerfield campaign, will be first secretary of state, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the Cabinet Office.

Mr Healey, who resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government in a row over defence spending, gained respect in the party after a strong run as defence secretary – and his appointment shows Mr Burnham’s commitment to bolstering Britain’s military capabilities.

Meanwhile, Angela Rayner has returned to her role as housing secretary, after being forced to resign over her tax affairs last September, while former health secretary Wes Streeting has taken the demanding defence role.

Mr Burnham used his first speech as prime minister to vow to end decades of failure by eradicating rough sleeping and overhauling social care, promising his arrival in Downing Street will be a “circuit-breaker” moment for Britain.

After meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the new PM admitted politicians “needed to raise their game” and be better, insisting he would “make Britain believe and hope again” by winning over fed-up voters.

He reiterated his promise to move power outside of Westminster and said he would set out a 10-year plan later this year, adding: “Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again.”

In a sign of change, he purged Starmer loyalists including former chancellor Rachel Reeves and deputy PM David Lammy.

In a short speech delivered without a lectern, Mr Burnham said: “I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh prime minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.

“It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge.”

In his first promise as prime minister, he said he would “end rough sleeping in our country”, having visited the homelessness charity The Passage in London’s Victoria earlier on Monday.

He also declared he would reduce Britain’s welfare bill by helping more young people into work, building more council homes and creating what he described as a “preventative state”, investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure.

This, he said, “is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners”.

He made it clear that his first priority would be to tackle the cost of living crisis, teasing an announcement in the next 24 hours to address issues such as bus fare or rent freezes, or a reduction in energy bills.

Earlier, Sir Keir gave his goodbye speech in Downing Street before visiting Buckingham Palace.

He said he had offered Mr Burnham his “full support” and he was leaving “with good grace and a smile”.

However, some of the other cabinet ministers to lose their jobs were less generous.

In a barbed remark, Steve Reed, who was ousted as communities secretary, wrote: “Keir Starmer showed me loyalty by appointing me to his cabinet. I make no apology for returning that loyalty. It’s what is expected of functioning teams, and I hope those who did not show loyalty to Keir will now show it to you.

“I’m proud I acted with integrity at every step over the turbulent last few months.”

Mr Lammy noted: “I would have been proud to continue serving in cabinet. But a new prime minister is entitled to build his own team.”

Speaking to journalists in the Downing Street rose garden, Mr Burnham made it clear that as well as ending rough sleeping, he wanted to ensure that he dealt with the social care crisis before his time in Downing Street came to an end.

The issue is unfinished business for Mr Burnham, who failed to get cross-party consensus in 2009 when he was health secretary, when his proposal for a levy was attacked by the Tories as “a death tax”.

Mr Burnham has made it clear that it is more personal to him now, with his father suffering from Alzheimer’s, making him unaware that his son is now PM.

He said: “I think the country needs to step back here and say, ‘How have we let a situation kind of just roll on, where we know it’s a major issue, and yet no one’s got the courage to fix it?’

“I just think that’s quite damning, really, of my generation of politicians. Has no one got the ability anymore to say: ‘Right, it is a difficult thing, but we’re going to do it’?

“If I look at the National Health Service right now, what I hear from people is that corridor care is becoming the norm all year round, not just in winter time, and the standards in relation to A&E are just not achievable in terms of the 90-plus per cent of people coming through in four hours.”

He will also look at the way people are being made to pay more income tax through thresholds being frozen, an issue he said was the biggest complaint from voters in Makerfield during the recent by-election campaign which brought him back into parliament.

Mr Burnham however insisted that he is “prudent” and will stick to the former chancellor’s fiscal rules on borrowing, which she set as chancellor before being sacked.

After his speech, Mr Burnham received hugs, applause and a kiss from his wife Marie-France van Heel, before the pair entered the black door of No 10 to be greeted by cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo and clapped in by staff.

No one knows whether Andy Burnham will deliver the dramatic national change he promised on the steps of Downing Street. But he has already cleared the first hurdle.

The man who launched his premiership standing in a homeless shelter in Victoria in his trademark dark blue T-shirt and jacket looked and sounded dramatically different from any of his peers.

Most new Prime Ministers opt to frame their accession to the most senior office in the land by releasing an official portrait of them shaking hands with the monarch. Burnham chose to start his opening day as the King’s First Minister chopping mushrooms for a group of rough sleepers.

The change in narrative was further in evidence when he delivered his first address to the nation outside No 10 without the ornate podium favoured by Keir Starmer.

Speaking confidently, and without notes, he somberly intoned: ‘It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge, to make politics work, to make it work better.’

A poll conducted last week revealed that 40 per cent of those questioned don’t know who Andy Burnham is. And I suspect those who have just been introduced to him for the first time will have liked what they saw.

He appeared sincere, relaxed, and managed to speak directly to the country, avoiding the awful technocratic buzzwords favoured by his immediate predecessors.

As one ally said to me: ‘We’ve got one job in the first few weeks, that’s to show that Andy Burnham does not represent business as usual. They’re sick of the Westminster circus.

‘And they want someone in Downing Street who looks like them, sounds like them and understands their hopes and fears.’

If that was indeed the objective yesterday, it was a case of job done. But if the first hurdle was cleared, there were also numerous reminders of the obstacles that still loom over him.

Over the past few days, he and his advisers have been keen to stress that despite the speed of the transition, Burnham has a clear plan for government. But yesterday he was forced to finally admit that is not the case.

‘Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a ten-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be,’ he declared. So we will all have to wait weeks, or maybe months, before we know what Burnhamism actually looks like.

Then there was his headline pledge to end rough sleeping.

‘I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction: To end rough sleeping in our country,’ he announced with a characteristically dramatic flourish.

That was a foolish commitment, and one that over the years ahead will come back to haunt him.

No prime minister has the power to completely eradicate the scourge of rough sleeping. And every figure huddled in a doorway this winter will be held up by his political opponents as an example of his hubris and naivety.

Further problems are presaged by the appointment of his top team. The dramatic announcement of John Healey as Chancellor represents his first major collision with political reality.

He had intended to hand the post to key ally Ed Miliband. But a backlash from an unlikely alliance of the markets and the trade unions meant he had to embark on the first U-turn of his premiership. The selection of his wider Cabinet has also stored up trouble for the future.

The cull of Starmerite loyalists – Darren Jones, Steve Reed, David Lammy, Peter Kyle, Liz Kendall, Nick Thomas-Symonds and Lord Hermer – was surprisingly brutal. And while it communicated strength and underlined his change-focused agenda, those who have been discarded will already be plotting their revenge.

Rachel Reeves also has her allies across the party. As one Starmer supporter said: ‘What happened to the end of factionalism?’

The appointment of Miliband to Foreign Secretary also means three of the four great offices of state are now held by men. While this may represent a welcome repudiation of Labour’s hypocritical fixation with diversity by the party’s latest male leader, it will also store up resentment among Burnham’s female backbenchers.

So on the first day of the Burnham premiership, we learnt two important things.

First, we finally have a Prime Minister who is comfortable in his own skin. Keir Starmer only looked happy when he was out of the country he was elected to govern, glad-handing dignitaries on his foreign adventures.

Rishi Sunak appeared to the working people of Britain as if he had landed from Mars. Liz Truss spent her brief tenure of office looking like a rabbit in the headlights, which is what she basically was.

Andy Burnham likes being in the spotlight. Not, as some of his critics charge, because he has an inflated ego, but because he is good with people. His default stance is they are his allies on his great political adventure, not his enemies.

But we have also seen that while Andy Burnham is secure in his own skin, he is not yet fully at ease with his national leadership role. His decision to make rough sleeping his first major announcement, while worthy, represented a retreat into his mayoral comfort zone.

We are promised a further policy announcement on the cost of living tomorrow. But as we have seen, that will be rushed out in isolation, not as part of a wider, comprehensive, fully-costed economic strategy.

Although the diplomatic niceties were observed, and Donald Trump topped his list of calls to foreign dignitaries, there is an ongoing and concerted effort by his aides to shift the focus away from foreign affairs to domestic issues.

Yet in a sense, all of this was inevitable. As I observed yesterday, Burnham and his team had hoped they would have until the end of September to plan the transition of power. And Keir Starmer’s understandable – but nonetheless self-serving – refusal to hold the fort for his successor means Andy Burnham is not yet ready to take a firm grip on the reins of power.

So for now it will simply be a case of him taking each day at a time. And to be fair, our new Prime Minister’s first day in office has gone well. Much, much tougher days lie ahead.

A road closure and three-way traffic lights will be in place

A road closure will be in place for emergency works after a smell of gas was reported in Cambridge. The smell was reported at the junction of East Road, Mill Road, Gonville Place, and Parkside.

A road closure and three-way traffic lights will be in place from 8pm on Monday (July 20). Work will start on Tuesday.

A Cadent spokesperson said: “Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to complete these emergency repairs as safely and as efficiently as possible.

“If you smell gas, do not assume it is related to this work. Act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999, day or night. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.”