Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
When Simon Molloy went missing earlier this year, the 60-year-old was described as being very vulnerable owing to his learning disabilities and difficulties in communicating.
He was tragically found dead almost two weeks later.
It can now be reported that Simon should not have been able to leave the hospital and internal and coronial investigations are now ongoing.
That is the focus of today’s newsletter.
Southport briefing
🦜 Sefton Council is facing a legal challenge over its attempt to close the aviary at Botanic Gardens. The hugely unpopular decision was made as part of this year’s budget setting and the authority has faced backlash over the lack of consultation and an apparent refusal to engage with those opposed to a move which is said is based on welfare grounds. Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson was revealed it has received notice of a legal challenge when she appeared on BBC Radio Merseyside this week and, promising to learn any lessons, appeared to adopt a conciliatory tone. She said: “All I will say is our priority remains protecting the Sefton Council taxpayers. I don’t want to be accused of predetermining or prejudging that challenge. If I do that could come at a cost to council tax payers across Sefton which isn’t fair. We will respond accordingly when we receive the challenge, await the outcome and ensure we learn any lessons that we need to.” In a joint statement, the Save Botanic Gardens Community Association (BGCA) and Save Our Aviary campaign confirmed they were behind the challenge and said they hoped to find an easier resolution. They said: “Taking legal action was not a step we wanted to take, and it has not been taken lightly. However, after our efforts to engage with the Council, we ultimately felt that we had been left with no other option but to issue a claim. Both the BGCA and Save Our Aviary campaign remain committed to finding a constructive resolution. We sincerely hope that mediation will provide an opportunity for the parties to come together, discuss the issues and resolve matters without the need for the proceedings to go any further than necessary.”
🚓 Merseyside Police is asking for help after a man was injured in an unprovoked attack in Southport town centre. At around 4.50am on Saturday 26 September, a report was received of a man being approached by a man unknown to the victim when walking on Coronation Walk. The victim was then struck to the head with a metal helium canister, causing a head injury before the suspect made off on foot in the direction of Lord Street and Eastbank Street. CCTV enquiries have been ongoing and detectives have shared an image of a man they hope to speak with as part of the investigation. Detective Inspector Edward Barr said: “This appears to have been a completely unprovoked assault, which has led to the victim sustaining permanent injuries. We are continuing to support him as enquiries continue. We believe that the man pictured may be able to assist our investigation, so if you recognise him, please come forward.” Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police’s social media desk via X or Facebook, use the online form, call 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
💷 More than £13m of council tax was unpaid in Sefton for the 2025/26 financial year but the council still recorded the highest council tax collection rate in the Liverpool City Region. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed an £13,890,124 of unpaid council tax for the 2025/26 financial year, following on from £11,421,582 in 2024/25 and £10,984,850 for 2023/24. Over the last three financial years, the council also wrote off £1,354,405 as ‘bad debt’, referring to money that they deemed unrecoverable as the cost of effort of collection outweighs the amount owed or all legal avenues have been exhausted. In response, the council pointed out that in percentage terms, this is better than other nearby authorities. Cllr Christine Howard, cabinet member for corporate services, said: “Our performance also compares favourably with similar authorities nationally. Sefton’s 2025/26 in-year collection rate was 1.1% above the metropolitan borough average, placing the council amongst the strongest-performing metropolitan authorities in England. While some balances remain outstanding at the end of a financial year, these amounts continue to be subject to recovery action, and many are subsequently collected. It would therefore be wrong to suggest that year-end outstanding balances represent money that has been permanently lost to the council.”
🙏 Sefton, St Helens & Knowsley Coroners office is appealing for help in finding the next of kin of a woman who died in Southport. Louise Holland, 55, died at her home on Lord Street on Monday 7 September. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. Anyone who can help the Coroner identify or trace any potential next of kin is asked to call Emma at Sefton, St Helens & Knowsley Coroner’s Office on 0151 934 4584 or email Coronerreferrals@sefton.gov.uk
Vulnerable man who died after walking out of Southport Hospital should not have been allowed to leave
By Jamie Lopez
A vulnerable man who died 13 days after going missing should not have been able to leave Southport Hospital, an inquest has heard.
Simon Molloy was subject to a missing person search when he disappeared in June and was tragically found dead in Halsall - some three miles away - almost two weeks later.
Appeals from Merseyside Police at the time stated he had last been seen on Town Lane Kew but did not refer to the hospital itself. However, a pre-inquest review heard that the 60-year-old was subject of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) - meaning he was effectively supposed to be detained at the hospital.
