Public inquiry into Southport attack begins at Liverpool Town Hall

The public inquiry into the murders of three young girls in Southport last July begins today (July 8).

Chairman Sir Adrian Fulford, a former vice-president of the Court of Appeal, will begin proceedings with an opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall.

On Wednesday (July 9), the inquiry will hear evidence from four families whose children were injured in the attack. A key question for the inquiry is whether the attack could or should have been prevented, given what was known about the killer.

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 on July 29 last year. He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

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.

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.

Sir Adrian said: “Today, just less than a year since one of the most horrific crimes in our country’s history took place in Southport, we open the independent inquiry into the events surrounding the attack and events leading up to it.

“Tomorrow I will then begin to hear from some of the families whose children were injured on that terrible day. We will hold two days of hearings this week and then resume hearings on September 8 at Liverpool Town Hall when I will hear from more of the victims, survivors and their families.

“My focus throughout this inquiry will be a thorough and forensic investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it.

“This will include the perpetrator’s history and interactions with all the relevant agencies, how they shared information and responded to the risks that he posed. I will then move into a second phase next year where I will consider the wider issues of children and young people being drawn into extreme violence.

“As chair of this inquiry, I am committed to proceeding at pace and with rigour whilst balancing the needs of those who live with the continued trauma of what happened in Southport in July 2024.”

Rachael Wong, director at law firm Bond Turner, representing the three bereaved families, said: “We know that nothing the inquiry reveals or subsequently recommends will change the unimaginable loss felt by the families of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, but we all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again.

“We will be doing all we can to assist the chair through the inquiry and uncover the truth. It is only through intense public scrutiny that real change can be effected.”

The inquiry begins at 2.00pm today.