Overview
- Surrey County Council refused a Freedom of Information request for a domestic‑abuse report on Urfan Sharif, saying the document contains the personal data of a living person protected by law.
- Woking MP Will Forster condemned the decision and urged that the council be put into special measures, arguing the public needs clear answers on safeguarding failures.
- The withheld report relates to evidence of Sharif’s extensive abuse that a November child‑safeguarding review said was lost in the system, as professionals failed to link repeated injuries and concerns.
- Coverage also highlights a licensing lapse in which the council let Sharif drive children with special educational needs, reflecting poor information‑sharing between departments.
- Sharif and two accomplices were extradited from Pakistan and jailed for life in December 2024, yet the current dispute focuses on transparency and lessons for multi‑agency child protection.