Public inquiry into horrific Southport attack begins

The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper confirmed that the first phase of the Southport Inquiry started today (April 7), with former Court of Appeal vice-president Sir Adrian Fulford appointed as Chair.

Cooper said work began “immediately”, with the first phase establishing a “definitive account” of the events leading up to the tragic knife attack at the Hart Space on July 29, 2024.

The inquiry comes after Axel Rudakubana was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years for murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Rudakubana, who was 17 when he carried out the attack, pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism - in the form of an Al Qaeda manual.

Both items were discovered following searches of his home by police. The attack in Southport was not declared a terrorist incident, with Merseyside Police explaining: “What we can say is that from all those documents no one ideology was uncovered, and that is why this was not treated as terrorism.”

Following Rudakubana’s guilty plea, it was revealed that he was referred to the government anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times before the murders and excluded from Formby Range High School amid concerns over his fixation with violence.

Announcing the probe in January, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there were “grave questions” to answer about how the teenager, described by prosecutors as having “a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence”, came to be so dangerous despite being known to Prevent and other safeguarding services.

In a statement today (April 7), Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper said: “The brutal murder of three young girls: Bebe, Elsie and Alice in Southport was an unimaginable tragedy – we owe it to their families, and all those affected on that terrible day to quickly understand what went wrong, answer difficult questions and do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again.

“The Southport Inquiry will provide insights into any failings that allowed a young man with a previous history of violence, to commit this horrendous attack.

“Sir Adrian Fulford will bring a wealth of legal and criminal justice expertise to this role, and I am pleased he has agreed to chair the Inquiry.”

According to the Home Office, the first phase of the inquiry will thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it. This will include examining an overall timeline of the perpetrator’s history and interactions with various public bodies including criminal justice, education, social care, and healthcare, as well as decision-making and information-sharing by local services and agencies.

The final report for the first phase of the inquiry is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early next year. The second phase is expected to examine the wider issues of children and young people being drawn into extreme violence.