Sara Sharif -what we now know from the Safeguarding Review

by Chris Barnes | Nov 13, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

Chris Barnes represented the journalists, Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers, in proceedings before the High Court and Court of Appeal arising from applications for the disclosure of papers from the family proceedings concerning Sara and her family. On 13 November 2025,...

Court lifts grandmother’s anonymity at her request

by reporting watch team | Nov 11, 2025 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This court judgment – [2025] EWFC 374 – has been published with two names: one is Re A (A Child) (Mother killed by Father) and the other: Linda Westcarr v Gogoa Lois Tape (1) A (2) The Paternal Grandmother (3)The Paternal Grandfather (4) and The London Borough of...

14 year old boy taken to Ghana – Appeal judgment

by reporting watch team | Jul 30, 2025 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

In June, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal by a 14 year old boy against a High Court decision that his parents had lawfully taken him from his home in the UK to Ghana, where he’d been left at a boarding school. You can read Sanchia Berg’s story here. We included...

Judgment published to warn women against sperm donor who has “180 kids”

by Julie Doughty | Feb 12, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

A family court judgment published on BAILII and TNA last month exposed prolonged harassment of the parents of a small child who had been conceived by sperm donation – by a man they’d met on social media who they thought had unselfishly offered to help them...

Identification of judges in Sara Sharif family court history

by reporting watch team | Jan 31, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

Amidst all the concern about the anonymisation of the family court judges in the historical decisions made about placing Sara Sharif with her father, we should not lose sight of the fact that Mr Justice Williams allowed the media extensive access to documents that...

Court of Appeal to consider the idea of the anonymous judge

by reporting watch team | Jan 2, 2025 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Notorious, Transparency News

In December, following the conviction of Sara Sharif’s father and step-mother for her murder, and her uncle for offences associated with her death, the Family Division of the HIgh Court permitted disclosure of documents and information from three family court...