The Southport Inquiry: What it means and who will speak
Plus: Is Southport beach turning into a 'grass infested muddy expanse'?
Hello and welcome to the 25th edition of The Southport Lead
The first phase of the Southport Inquiry officially began this week with a former Lord Justice appointed to chair the investigation.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the start of the probe on Monday, explaining it would be split into two parts. It had already been explained that the inquiry would examine what went wrong for Axel Rudakubana to be able to commit his evil crimes and what changes should be made to prevent future incidents.
Today’s newsletter takes a closer look at what the inquiry will actually involve, the man responsible for leading it, and who will be called to give evidence - a list which includes police, council and government representatives.
Who let Southport down?
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper this week announced the Southport Inquiry had begun.
The investigation is being held to examine the murders of three young girls - Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King - at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last summer and the attempted murders of several more. In particular, it will look at how various agencies failed to recognise and address the threat recognised by Axel Rudakubana before he carried out his attack.
The inquiry was announced in January but without any definitive timeline or terms of reference being made public. At the same time, it was finally made public that the killer had been referred to the Government’s Prevent anti-terrorism scheme on three occasions but each time it was decided that intervention was not needed.
Confirming the start of the inquiry this week, the government said it is vital to understand how the attack was able to happen, and the lessons which can be learnt from it, in order to “take appropriate steps to minimise the risk of a future tragedy”. The inquiry, it said, has been established to achieve this and will be led by Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Adrian Fulford.
Addressing the House of Commons on Monday, Ms Cooper said: “I had the privilege to meet with some of the victims and families last month. I would like to put on record my thanks to them for taking the time to meet with me and the Safeguarding Minister and sharing their deeply personal experiences.
“Their courage and strength in recounting these painful memories is greatly appreciated. I know Sir Adrian is planning to travel to meet with them soon, as his first priority.
“I also had the opportunity to discuss the public inquiry and how it could be approached to support victims and their families, to ensure they get answers they need and to minimise further distress from this terrible attack.
“I am grateful for their willingness to engage so constructively in this important conversation. Their input will be crucial in shaping the inquiry’s approach and ensuring the voices of all victims are heard during the process.”
What is the purpose of the inquiry?
The inquiry is split into two phases - one effectively looking at the the missed opportunities which allowed the killer to carry out his attack and the second looking at how best to prevent something like this from happening again.
Phase One will consider original evidence and submissions along with parallel investigations (such as those carried out by each organisation, the Prevent review, and the criminal investigation) in order to:
Establish a definitive account of the events leading up to the Southport attack and the attack itself, including an overall timeline of Axel Rudakubana’s history and interactions with various state systems including criminal justice, education, social care and healthcare. The account of the attack will include the facts and circumstances of each individual death to reflect the purposes of section 5(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The inquiry will consider the accounts of all those directly impacted by the attack.
Review the decision-making and information-sharing by local services and agencies which interacted with Axel Rudakubana prior to the attack to examine whether there were opportunities to manage the risk he posed to the public, making any required recommendations for improvements.
Phase Two has much less detailed guidelines yet as its requirements will to a large extent be determined by the findings of Phase One. It is however expected to consider “the adequacy of multi-agency systems to address the risk posed by young people whose fixation or obsession with, and desire to commit, acts of extreme violence presents a significant risk to public safety”.
How long will it take?
A final report is due to be delivered to the Government by the end of 2025 or early 2026. Included with the findings will be recommendations which may be aimed at local and national authorities. No timeline has yet been given for Phase Two.
Who is leading the inquiry?
Sir Adrian Fulford has been named chair of the inquiry. He will be able to decide what witnesses to call and whether they should give written or oral evidence. He will deliver the final recommendations and help guide the scope and direction of Phase Two.
As well as being a retired Lord Justice of Appeal and former judge of the International Criminal Court, he has been a Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) in and was the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner between 2017 to 2019.
His extensive legal experience includes overseeing the trial of the 2005 London bombers and the trial of Thomas Lubanga, who was the first war criminal convicted at the International Criminal Court. In 2021, the year before his retirement, he carried out the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, the Met Police officer who murdered Sarah Everard.
Sir Adrian’s areas of expertise include violence against women and children and serious acts of violence, such as murder and terrorism; and issues relating to policing and the criminal justice system.
He has said that his first priorities include travelling to meet the victims and families of those killed or affected by the attacks.
Who will be called to give evidence?
As the inquiry has been given statutory status, it means that any witnesses who are called to attend or submit evidence are legally compelled to do so. The decision to make it a statutory inquiry came following representations by the families of the victims of the attack.
A total of 15 organisations have been identified as needing to provide interviews and information. They are:
Merseyside Police
Lancashire Constabulary
Counter-Terrorism Policing
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
Department of Health and Social Care
Department for Education
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Home Office
Ministry of Justice
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
MI5
NHS England
Youth Justice Board
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Other witnesses may be identified and required to give evidence as the inquiry progresses.
Ms 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.”
Southport beach becoming ‘grass infested muddy expanse’
By Elliot Jessett
Sefton Council leaders have been accused of ‘sticking their head in the sand’ as Southport beach turns into a ‘grass infested muddy expanse’.
Cllr John Pugh, Liberal Democrat group leader, believes the town is losing its beach and that the erosion of sand is risking the town’s status as a tourist attraction.
The former MP has called on Sefton Council to implement plan for the ‘reclamation’ of the beach, saying: “Neighbouring councils like Wirral have taken steps to reclaim their beaches.
“Currently Southport Leisure Beach is being allowed to turn into a grass infested muddy expanse. Calls at council meetings to get the council to spell out some sort of policy or plan of action have fallen on deaf ears.
“I could accuse the current council leadership of sticking their heads in the sand, but unfortunately there is not enough left.”
Sefton Council have attributed the reduction in sand on Southport beach to ‘accretion’ which is the process of coastal sediment returning to the visible portion of a beach. A sustainable beach often goes through a cycle of submersion during rough weather and later accretion during calmer periods.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Accretion isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s been well-known since the Victorian era of Southport.
“Healthy, dynamic coastlines change. They will continue to do so and have done so for thousands of years. It is important that we work with these powerful, natural processes.”
Nonetheless, Cllr Pugh said areas of sandy beach has migrated over time, but it is ‘well worth making the effort’ to keep the traditional leisure beach area free from mud.
He added that Sefton’s local authority should look to the work done by Wirral Council on West Kirkby beach, noting: “Wirral are estimating that West Kirkby beach may require a maintenance budget of around 30K, but if it attracts people to the area that could be a sound investment.
“Sefton are spending £72M on a conference centre to boost tourism why spoil it by making our beach a blot on the landscape?”
Responding to cllr Pugh’s comments, a spokesperson for Sefton Council added: “The town and the borough still have a range of beautiful “resort beaches”.
“The areas of vegetation referred to have beauty in their own right, and play a vital role and benefit to the environment – as important coastal and flood defences, and as a carbon sink contributing to climate change mitigation as well as being the home to rare and other salt-marsh species.”
News in headlines
'Quirky' arcade will transport you back in time to your childhood (Liverpool Echo)
Wigan man jailed after throwing brick at police officer during Southport disorder (ITV)
Ten year Sefton Visitor Economy Strategy launched as residents and businesses asked for views (Stand Up For Southport)
Thanks for reading this mid-week edition of The Southport Lead, I’ll be back in your inbox on Sunday morning. In the meantime if there’s anything you think I should be looking into then drop me a line southport@thelead.uk
Have a great rest of the week and if you’re in a position to support this newsletter then please consider a paid subscription.
Jamie & The Southport Lead team