Southport Inquiry chair Sir Adrian Fulford will open proceedings this afternoon as lawyers for the families of Axel Rudakubana demand ‘real change’
Lawyers for the families of the three young girls stabbed to death in Southport a year ago are “committed to getting answers” from the inquiry which starts today.
The Southport Inquiry launches this afternoon in Liverpool looking first at how teenaged killer Axel Rudakubana was dealt with by police and other authorities before looking more widely into the issue of young people drawn towards violent extremism. Lawyers for the three bereaved families said in a statement: “Ultimately as legal representatives of the bereaved families we are committed to getting answers for them.
“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.” The Southport Inquiry was announced by the Home Secretary in January following the conviction of 18-year old Axel Rudakubana for three sadistic murders of young girls on July 29 2024.
Rudakubana killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the Merseyside town that day. He also attacked eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes, who tried to disarm him.
The inquiry is chaired by former Court of Appeal vice-president Sir Adrian Fulford who will make an opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall this afternoon. Evidence from the families of four children who were injured in the attacks will be heard on Wednesday.
Their lawyers Rachael Wong, of Bond Turner, and Chris Walker, also of Bond Turner who is their Recognised Legal Representative, said: “Crucially the Chair has not only been tasked with looking into the event itself, but the history and involvement of a number of state bodies in considering what actions could have been taken to prevent the Southport attack.
“The second phase of this Inquiry will then look into a much wider issue of violent extremism and how young people specifically are exposed and drawn in. 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.”
Ahead of the inquiry opening, Sir Adrian said in a statement: “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. 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.” After two days of hearings this week, the inquiry will resume again on September 8.
Rudakubana was arrested on the day of the attack, but initially denied responsibility for the deaths, before changing his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial in January. He then refused to leave his cell to face the court when he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years three days later.
It has emerged that Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent anti-terror scheme three times between 2019 and 2021. This was due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings but he was judged not to be at risk of being radicalised.
Riots spread across the UK, targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, after false information spread on social media about the identity of the Southport attacker.