“This is one of those incidents that has affected everyone involved, and I’m sure it has affected many members of the community as well,” he added.
Detective Inspector Craig Emerson added that Sarah’s murder was “one of the most difficult and tragic cases” Surrey Police had ever dealt with.
In a statement read outside the Old Bailey, he said: “The murder of a child is absolutely shocking, but the abuse Sarah suffered in her short life makes this case particularly disturbing.”
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Sousa said Sarah’s murder highlighted “serious weaknesses in our child protection system”.
“There is no question that Sarah was failed in the harshest terms by the safety net of the services around her,” she said.
“Even before she was born, she was known as a social care recipient, but she was completely removed from social care, so by the time she died, she was known to all of them. It became invisible.
“No more reviews, no more strategies, no more arguments. When we say ‘never again,’ we have to mean it. May that be Sarah’s legacy.” Let’s do it.”
He called for a number of changes, including “appropriate supervision” for children like Sarah who are being educated at home.
