sara's death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults, and what can only be described as the torture of this small child. ten—year—old sara sharif�*s so—called "torturers" were her own father and stepmother, said the judge at the old bailey, as he sentenced them for murder. urfan sharif must serve a minimum term of a0 years injail. bainash batool, 33 years. this footage of urfan sharif shows him just hours before he beat sara to death. she had been known to social services since before she was born, so why was she failed by the authorities? and what happens now to her five siblings left with family members in pakistan? daniel sandford and alison holt will explain. also tonight... ukrainian intelligence sources say kyiv was responsible for a bomb

attack which killed a senior russian general. the killing of a general, here in moscow? that is a wake—up call and a sign that this war is very real and very close to home. the suspect in the killing of a healthcare boss in new york, luigi mangione, hasjust been charged with first degree murder. elon musk meets nigel farage at donald trump's florida resort. chris mason will tell us what it means. and... the bbc�*s sports personality of the year 2024 is... ..keely hodgkinson! cheering. ..the olympic 800 metre gold medallist is crowned this year's winner. on newsnight at 10.30pm tonight, we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day, with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters — and of course, look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news.

good evening. the judge at the old bailey described the treatment of sara sharif at the hands of her own father and stepmother as torture, and mrjustice cavanagh expressed disquiet about a child being home—schooled for whom the authorities had welfare concerns. sara had been known to social services since before she was born, and yet was allowed to be taken out of school by her parents in the weeks before she died. today, the government brought forward legislation taking away the automatic right of parents to educate their children at home, if the child is the subject of a protection investigation. more on that in a moment with alison holt, but first, here's daniel sandford on the conclusion of a horrifying case of child cruelty. there are details in his report you may find distressing. # i close my eyes, i open them to see... sara sharif�*s friends

and teachers will always remember herfor her love of singing, and her sparky personality. but in august last year, aged just ten, she was brutally beaten to death in her own home. tortured, the judge said. sara's death was the culmination of years of neglect, frequent assaults and what can only be described as the torture of this small child. judges must be careful about using the word torture. it should not be overused, but it is no exaggeration to describe the campaign of abuse against sara as torture. hertorturers, herfather, urfan sharif and stepmother, beinash batool, were arrested on a flight back from pakistan after 36 days on the run. last week, both were found guilty of murder. today, the judge sentenced them to life, with minimum terms in prison of a0 years and 33 years. sara sharif had been known to social

services since before she was born. she was twice in foster care before the age of three because of violence in the home, and social workers had considered taking her into care permanently. she ended up living with her mother until there were new allegations of violence by her. aged six, she returned to live with her father and stepmother, but the violence immediately started again in her new home. the judge said her killers singled her out because she was a girl and from a previous marriage. but in police interviews after their arrests, they said nothing. do you love sara? no comment. did you care about her at all? no comment. sara's body was found by police at her home in woking after her family had all fled. her injuries included being burnt by an iron, scalded by hot water and being bitten by her stepmother. police went there after receiving this call from her father.

for weeks he had been beating her with a cricket bat and tying her up, leaving her with more than 25 broken bones and a serious brain injury. on the day sara died, he was called home because she was deteriorating, but stopped at the local shop to buy some vapes. when he got home, she was floppy, but he decided she was faking, so he beat her with this metal pole. moments later, she died. five months before she was killed, sara's school saw bruising on herface. social services asked teachers to monitor her, but soon afterwards, her parents just removed her from school. it's unusual forjudges to pass comment on matters of public policy when passing a sentence, but today mrjustice cavanagh went

out of his way to express his disquiet about a child about whom there were welfare concerns being taken out of school to be home—schooled. this case brings into sharp relief the dangers of unsupervised home—schooling of vulnerable children. it is a matter of concern that parents who are abusing or who have malign intent towards their children appear to be able to home—school more or less at will and without supervision. neighbours held a vigil this weekend for a little girl who wanted to win x—factor, but will instead be remembered for the brutal way she was killed. an independent review will now examine why surrey county council, the family court, the police and her school were unable to prevent her death. as we heard there, thejudge highlighted what he called the dangers of the unsupervised home—schooling of vulnerable children. alison holt is here, along with daniel. alison, a change in the law

on home—schooling was brought forward by the government because of this awful case. and we have had cases in the past where home—schooling has been an element where parents who were trying to manipulate the situation had removed their child. this legislation is designed to try to tackle that. there will be a register of children who are not in school and we are told that will mean monitoring visits although we don't know how often those will happen. in surrey, where sara lived, there's already a register and she was killed during the school holidays so the change that might have made the biggest difference in her case is that any family where there has been a child protection plan or an there has been a child protection plan oran inquiry there has been a child protection plan or an inquiry will have to have the permission of the local council if they want to home school their child. more generally, if a council thinks the education or home environment of a child who is being schooled at home is not suitable,

they will be able to say that child must come into school. there will also be an identifying numberfor each child which will make it easier for authorities to track concerns if a family moves from area to area but perhaps the biggest shift in this legislation is towards early intervention, trying to work with families early on, the thresholds for that are high at the moment, and that could hopefully prevent a family reaching a crisis. daniel, big question marks now being raised about sara's five siblings, currently in pakistan. when sara was murdered, five of her siblings— when sara was murdered, five of her siblings were living in that same family— siblings were living in that same family home in woking. they flew to pakistan_ family home in woking. they flew to pakistan when her father and stepmother and uncle fled after the murder_ stepmother and uncle fled after the murder and they have been living there _ murder and they have been living there ever— murder and they have been living there ever since with a grandfather in the _ there ever since with a grandfather in the city— there ever since with a grandfather in the city of gel product there are court _ in the city of gel product there are court proceedings both here in london — court proceedings both here in london and in lahore in pakistan to decide _ london and in lahore in pakistan to decide where they should spend the rest of— decide where they should spend the

rest of their lives and we are following _ rest of their lives and we are following those proceedings in both countries _ following those proceedings in both countries but we are limited by the judges _ countries but we are limited by the judges as— countries but we are limited by the judges as to how many details we can report _ judges as to how many details we can report 0he _ judges as to how many details we can report. one option is for all the five children to remain with their grandfather in pakistan that is certainty— grandfather in pakistan that is certainly what he wants, but another option— certainly what he wants, but another option would be for them to be brought— option would be for them to be brought back here to the uk into some _ brought back here to the uk into some kind — brought back here to the uk into some kind of care setting point at the judge — some kind of care setting point at the judge at the old bailey today made _ the judge at the old bailey today made it— the judge at the old bailey today made it quite clear that he believes the five _ made it quite clear that he believes the five children will have seen or heard _ the five children will have seen or heard some of the torture that sara suffered _ heard some of the torture that sara suffered so — heard some of the torture that sara suffered so they will need some very specialist _ suffered so they will need some very specialist care, so the future of those _ specialist care, so the future of those five — specialist care, so the future of those five siblings, whose parents are how _ those five siblings, whose parents are now facing a life sentence for murder, — are now facing a life sentence for murder, is— are now facing a life sentence for murder, is still very much unresolved.— murder, is still very much unresolved. or right, daniel sandford — unresolved. or right, daniel sandford and _ unresolved. or right, daniel sandford and alison - unresolved. or right, daniel sandford and alison holt, . unresolved. or right, daniel- sandford and alison holt, thank you. and there's a new bbc documentary about the sara sharif case, �*tortured behind closed doors', available now, on iplayer. ukraine says it was responsible for the bomb attack in moscow which killed a senior russian general. kyiv says igor kirillov was a legitimate target, because he co—ordinated chemical weapons attacks on ukrainian forces.

the kremlin says it was an act of terrorism, and is vowing revenge. steve rosenberg has the very latest from moscow. being filmed from a car opposite, a russian general and his assistant. here, what appears to be a scooter — we will come back to that. what followed was a giant explosion, with deadly consequences. the two men were killed, a moscow apartment block was now a crime scene. investigators sifted through the debris, searching for clues. later, a spokesperson for russia's investigative committee revealed that the bomb had been hidden on that scooter. a terrorist attack, she called it. it was the targeted assassination of this man. lieutenant general igor kirillov was chief of russia's radiation, chemical and biological protection forces. only yesterday, ukraine had reportedly charged him in absentia for his alleged use of chemical

weapons in the war. the general was known for making wild accusations against the west. he once claimed that america was plotting to infect russian troops with malaria, by releasing mosquitoes from drones. in october, the foreign office sanctioned him, calling him a significant mouthpiece for kremlin disinformation. russian state tv said that with today's attack, president zelensky had signed his own death sentence. the former kremlin leader dmitry medvedev called for the killers to be tracked down in russia. "we must do everything" he said, "to destroy the patrons who are in kyiv." for local residents who may have heard the blast, there is a sense of shock. for many muscovites, even after nearly three years of war, russia's war in ukraine is something that is happening a long way away

from here, something they see on tv or on their phone. but the killing of a general, here in moscow? that is a wake—up call, and a sign that this war is very real and very close to home. lisa, who lives close by, says she is scared. "when this kind of thing happens not just in your home town," she says, "or your own neighbourhood, but in the building opposite, that's shocking." there's been no reaction yet from president putin, but the expectation is that, after such a high—profile killing in the russian capital, moscow will retaliate. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. kyiv says it's braced for retaliation from moscow, after the assasination. jonathan beale is in the ukrainian capital. jonathan, what are they saying about all this and what are they

expecting? all this and what are they meeting?— all this and what are they exectin ? , ., ., expecting? they are waiting, we don't know _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, how _ expecting? they are waiting, we don't know when, how it'll - expecting? they are waiting, we | don't know when, how it'll come, expecting? they are waiting, we . don't know when, how it'll come, in what form, but the focus is very much been on the battle on the ground and in that battle, it is the russians who are advancing, the ukrainians are losing ground. there was also this clandestinely war taking place of espionage and assassinations and in that war, ukraine is claiming some success, notjust in the killing of this russian general involved in its chemical weapons programme, but also last week, the shooting of a russian scientist involved in the production of its drones and missiles, again near moscow. tonight, ukraine's security service, the spu, so they have uncovered a major russian spy ring and they state that involves disaffected ukrainians and was allegedly trying to provide information about the locations of

western weapons in ukraine, namely f-i6s western weapons in ukraine, namely f—i6s and air defence systems, prized russian targets, not least for propaganda purposes. they say they have boiled that plot. i have just been to the front line talking to ukrainian troops and there is no doubt they are tired and exhausted after three years of fighting, they know they are losing ground but they are not giving up and this clandestinely war shows that as well. whatever it next year holds for them. mil well. whatever it next year holds for them. �* g ., ., ., for them. all right, jonathan, lived in k iv, for them. all right, jonathan, lived in kyiv. thank— for them. all right, jonathan, lived in kyiv, thank you. _ luigi mangione, the man suspected of shooting and killing the chief executive of a health insurance company in new york two weeks ago, has been formally indicted. he faces one charge of murder in the first—degree and two of murder in the second—degree, including an act of terrorism. let's get the latest from nada tawfik in new york. what are the prosecutors are saying about all this? the

what are the prosecutors are saying about all this?— about all this? the killing of brian thomson set _ about all this? the killing of brian thomson set off _ about all this? the killing of brian thomson set off a _ about all this? the killing of brian thomson set off a five _ about all this? the killing of brian thomson set off a five day - about all this? the killing of brian l thomson set off a five day manhunt that captivated people around the world and prompted a debate about health care in america with some even celebrating and rooting for the suspect, luigi mangione. but today in new york, prosecutors branded him a terrorist. they have charged him with three counts of murder, two with three counts of murder, two with terrorism components, and the manhattan district attorney, in announcing the indictment, so this was a frightening, well—planned, targeted murder in one of the most bustling parts of the city that was intended to cause shock, attention and intimidation. he then outlined the timeline of the suspect�*s movements, including the key moment when he is accused of shooting brian thompson. from 6:38am to 6:44am the defendant stood across from the entrance of the hotel on west 54th street. when he saw mr thompson he crossed the street and approached him from behind. we allege he then took out a nine millimetre 3d printed ghost gun equipped with a 3d printed

suppressor, and shot him once in the back and once in the leg. the new york district attorney said he now has indications that luigi mangione will no longer fight his extradition to new york, and in fact he has retained a new lawyer in new york, and his previous law in pennsylvania said he would plead not guilty to the charges against him, and if convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison without parole. the former archbishop of canterbury, lord carey, has quit the church, after a bbc news investigation revealed he'd advocated for an alleged child abuser to return to ministry. the same investigation raised questions about the decisions made by the archbishop of york, stephen cottrell. aleem maqbool is here. what is the background? the

investigation _ what is the background? tie: investigation was what is the background? tte: investigation was broadcast yesterday and related to a priest called david tudor who faced accusations of sexual assault in the 19805 accusations of sexual assault in the 1980s against teenage girls and the church banned him from being a priest forfive church banned him from being a priest for five years but george carey who was then the archbishop of canterbury, we are told by the church, allowed him back in with some trepidation, in their words, but in our investigation we found he had advocated for this priest, and had advocated for this priest, and had also according to some evidence, it is suggested had made a case for him, to be made to take him at the chelmsford diocese, and he agreed to have this man's name removed from the list of clergy who had been disciplined. we had a lot of questions for george carey and we put them to him at the end of november, but he did not answer them, but we know he then wrote a

letter saying he was giving up his permission to officiate, although he will still be sitting in the house of lords. ., ., ., , and you can listen to the full story on file on 4 investigates — which is on bbc radio 4 at 11am tomorrow morning and is available now on the bbc sounds app. campaigners have reacted angrily to news that women affected by changes to the state pension age won't receive compensation. the parliamentary ombudsman recommended earlier this year that thousands of women born in the 1950s should receive payouts because they hadn't been adequately informed about the change. but ministers now say compensation would be neither right nor affordable, leaving many outraged. it's absolutely shattered my faith that the government that we have actually governs on behalf of the people. they don't. i don't know who they govern on behalf of but it's certainly not

on behalf of older people. hannah miller's at westminster for us. how does the government explain this decision? these compensation were supposed to be in recognition of problems with how the change in the state pension was communicated, not the fact that the state pension age went up. the work and pensions secretary liz kendall said that while she apologise for the fact that there were dev arrays of more than two years to some women are being told about this —— there were delays. but she did not think people had experienced financial hardship directly as a result. she even suggested that sending out the letters might not have made a lot of difference because people sometimes do not read unsolicited post. on that basis she said spending up to £10 billion would not have been fair or reasonable for taxpayers as a

whole. labour never said they would pay this compensation and neither did the conservatives, but they did previously express support for the women concerned and that caused some people to express their frustrations today. people to express their frustrations toda . ., ., ., , and victoria will have more on this over on newsnight on bbc 2 shortly. former labour party leaderjeremy corbyn is on newsnight and he says he is shocked by keir starmer�*s decision to reject compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age. and on the nigel farage elon musk talks over a 1432 00:24:41,728 --> 00:24:4