Louise Tickle
Journalist & broadcaster
Winner 2026
Campaign of the Year
Latest
“Powerful and challenging stuff to take on the courts… terrific and dogged journalism.”
Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers
Thursday 21st May, 2026
Image: Tortoise Media
The case of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, murdered by her father and stepmother in 2023, sent shockwaves around the UK, raising questions over why the authorities had failed to protect her. It also led freelance journalists Hannah Summers and Louise Tickle on a dogged campaign to ensure accountability.
In September 2023, they self-funded the first media application around disclosure of documents from family court proceedings concerning Sara’s welfare, with the aim of understanding how she came to be placed in the care of her father and stepmother.
How the MoD tried to cover up domestic abuse by a special forces soldier.
Louise Tickle
Sunday 3rd May, 2026
Illustration by Michelle Thompson
A member of the armed forces who terrorised his wife has been allowed unsupervised access to their daughter – in a case that British military authorities tried to keep out of the public eye.
Two years ago, I discovered that a family court judge had found – as fact – that a serving soldier had severely abused his wife. The couple were battling over custody of their child, and the man, I soon learned, was a member of the UK’s most elite, secretive and protected military unit – the special forces. He had terrorised his wife for eight years and, according to the judge, had “almost destroyed her”. But despite the findings of abuse, the judge awarded him extensive unsupervised contact with their young daughter.
Winner, Campaign of the Year in the 2025 Media Freedom Awards, given by the Society of Editors
Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers
For promoting transparency and accountability at the highest levels while shining a light on an area that has historically been closed to public scrutiny, Campaign of the Year goes to @hansummers and @louisetickle for their campaign for transparency in the family courts.
Our challenge to the ban on naming Sara Sharif judges was always about scrutiny, not blame
Louise Tickle and Hannah Summers
26 January 2025
Light must be shed on the vital life-changing decisions that are made behind closed doors in Britain’s family courts
In the wood-panelled courtroom, with low winter light filtering through high windows, our barrister sat down after making his final submissions, and Mr Justice Williams began to speak. It had taken us 14 months to reach this moment at the Royal Courts of Justice, to hear the high court judge’s decision on our application for disclosure of confidential documents in three sets of family court proceedings relating to the murdered schoolgirl Sara Sharif – and whether we would be allowed to publish the information they contained.
Royal Courts of Justice photo: Shutterstock
Matt Frei interviews Louise Tickle on Channel 4 News
21 Dec 2024
Family courts have the powers to intervene in many aspects of families’ lives – including whether children should be removed from their parents.
From January 2025, the pilot which permits anonymised reporting of family court proceedings held in private will be extended to all courts in England and Wales.
