We will name police and social workers unless action taken, Southport families lawyer says
We will name police and social workers unless action taken, Southport families lawyer says
The legal representative for the families of three girls killed in the Southport attacks has stated that individuals responsible for not preventing the incident will be publicly named unless disciplinary steps are taken. The victims—Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine—were murdered by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in June 2024.
A public inquiry recently highlighted “catastrophic” failures by parents and local authorities, describing an endless cycle of referrals, evaluations, and handoffs between agencies as insufficient to stop the attack. Chris Walker, representing the families, emphasized that five key state entities were particularly concerned, with their conduct deemed unacceptable.
“There are five particular state entities which are causing us most concern and we, frankly, find their behaviour unacceptable,” Walker said. “Prevent, Lancashire Police, Lancashire Social Services, CAMHS, and FCAMHS.”
Prevent, a Home Office initiative, aims to stop individuals from becoming extremists and carrying out attacks. Walker criticized the service for misunderstanding the concept of ‘ideology,’ stating that it failed to address the ideological implications of its various gateways. He added that the attacker’s autism was used as an excuse for past behavior, leading to a lack of awareness of the real threat he posed.
The inquiry found that no agency or multi-agency system took ownership of the grave risk presented by the assailant. Walker described the systemic failures as wholly unacceptable, noting that the murders were both predictable and preventable. “All of those agencies, the performance of those agencies, failed to a totally unacceptable level,” he said.
Walker confirmed he has contacted the five agencies and is ready to reveal responsible individuals if disciplinary action is not satisfactory. “Several months ago, I wrote to all five of those saying that we find their performance wholly unacceptable, demanding disciplinary proceedings against the individuals,” he explained. “Now that that inquiry report is concluded, I will be following that up with them to ensure disciplinary proceedings meet our expectations.”
Phase Two of the Southport Inquiry
With the release of the 760-page Phase One report, the next stage of the inquiry will commence immediately, with a projected completion in Spring 2027. This phase will examine the effectiveness of measures to identify and manage risks from individuals fixated on extreme violence.
“It’s pointless having a glossy book sat at the end of somebody’s desk gathering dust with recommendations,” Walker remarked. “We can’t have a situation where we lurch from disaster to disaster, from inquiry to inquiry—there has to be the change.”
He likened the families’ experience to a horror movie, stating: “The families are living in a horror movie—and yesterday brought it all back. Every time there’s a new report, every time there’s a new incident, they are reliving the horror movie once again—and that’s exactly where they are now.”
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