Words alone not enough as Southport Attack families demand action
Government accepts inquiry recommendations but evidence of change needed
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
Regular readers will be familiar with the findings of Phase One of the Southport Inquiry - the judge-led investigation into how the attack was able to happen.
With the second phase set to begin, the government has this week responded to the first findings by saying it intends to implement all of the recommendations from Sir Adrian Fulford.
Once again, we look to focus on the victims and their families as they send a clear message - warm words are welcome but only if it’s met with definitive action.
We have also decided, given the subject matter, to make today’s edition free to read.
Southport briefing
🦚 Sefton Council is facing a backlash over plans to close the aviary at Botanic Gardens. The council says the facility, which was first opened in 1939, is no longer fit for purpose to meet modern welfare standards and that it plans to rehome rather than euthanise all of its birds. Among widespread opposition to the plans, which are forecast to save £60k, Southport’s Liberal Democrats urged the council to rethink its decision and is encouraging the public to sign a petition against it. Meols ward councillor Lauren Keith said: “I live round the corner and take my daughter to the aviary frequently. It’s such an important place for families and for children to learn about animals and a real draw to the park and Churchtown Village. It is a short sighted decision and I am hoping the strength of local opinion will mean that the council will back down on this. My ward colleagues Daniel Lewis and John Dodd will be fighting for a change of mind on this.” MP Patrick Hurley has called a public meeting to discuss the decision which will take place at Botanic Gardens Cafe at 10.30am on Friday, July 10. Cllr Williams, cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: “It is no longer possible for it to operate to the high welfare standards that are rightly expected of a modern site. For that reason, the decision has been taken to oversee the aviary’s closure.I’d like to personally thank everyone who has supported the aviary over the years, including the wonderful staff and volunteers who have cared for the animals on a daily basis.”
🚓 A Preston man has been charged with theft after expensive fragrances were stolen from a Boots in Southport town centre. Officers from Merseyside Police carried out a joint investigation with Lancashire Police after reports of the theft in May, with a car involved in the crime traced to a house in Preston. Andrei Duduianu, of Dundonald Street, has now been charged with four counts of theft from a shop. The 25-year-old appeared at Wirral Magistrates Court on Friday 3 July and has been released on conditional bail. Sefton Area Commander Karl Baldwin Said: “We are keenly aware of the impact that shop thefts can have on our businesses in Sefton. They are not victimless crimes and can have a devastating ripple effect that could lead to people losing their jobs, prices rising as businesses seek to make up for the lost revenue and more. Our local policing officers remain committed to tackling such offences by working with businesses, the security industry and other partners to disrupt and deter offenders and bring them to justice when these thefts do occur.”
🙅 A restaurant in Churchtown has lost a bid to keep an extension it built without planning permission. Suzie’s transformed the unit at the corner of Botanic Road and Manor Road but did so by building a far larger area than had been allowed and against what is considered acceptable in the conservation area. The business then applied for retrospective planning permission and tried to rally public support, describing the structure as an “awning” and insisting it played a community role. When a first retrospective application was rejected, it submitted modified plans which would have made changes to the boundary wall but that has was been rejected at a planning committee on Wednesday evening. A report prepared for the meeting stated: “Permission was given in 2024 for a single-storey extension to the side fronting Manor Road with the outdoor area between the extension and Manor Road proposed to be used as outdoor seating. The side extension as constructed creates extended dining area and associated staff facilities and storage, aligns with the side boundary with Manor Road and the rear boundary with 1 Manor Road and entirely covers the outdoor space to the west of the site with an attached/covered storage area extending to the boundary with 1 Manor Road. The extension increases the floorspace of the site by nearly double over that approved in 2024 and as a result also increases the number of ‘covers’ that can be accommodated.” It also noted that the increased use had led to more issues for neighbours. General Manager Cara Quinn had previously said the business may be lose two-thirds of its staff if forced to lose the extension. A petition to retain the awning now has over 3,000 signatures and Suzie’s is appealing against the decision.
🏢 Southport’s MP believes the town centre could be transformed through a ‘renovation zone’ which would support the repair and renewal of vacant buildings, along with ‘robust enforcement against unlawful storefronts’. Patrick Hurley spoke in Parliament about how the high street can be revived through combining “retail with culture, hospitality, housing, leisure, health services and other aspects of community activity”. He hailed the opening of the new Warehouse Arts Centre on West Street at the weekend, and called for more vacant upper floors in the town centre to be converted into homes for families. Hurley said: “Our local high streets are the beating heart of our towns and our country, but they have faced profound challenges in recent years. We have seen the rise of online retail, changing consumer habits and years of under-investment in our town centres, and the tax system and business rates have not kept pace with that. The answer to all that is not simply to recreate the high streets of 30 or 40 years ago. The successful town centre or high street of the future will look different. We need to work to combine retail with culture, hospitality, housing, leisure, health services and other aspects of community activity. However, as well as good intentions, we need the confidence and determination to enforce our will. “Across the country, our constituents are increasingly raising concerns that premises appear to be operating outside the law. Legitimate businesses, which employ local people and contribute positively to their communities, should not have to compete with enterprises involved in illicit tobacco, counterfeit goods, money laundering or other criminal activity [...] If we combine robust enforcement against unlawful storefronts with a bold programme of renewal and reinvestment, our high streets can once again become thriving civic centres at the heart of community life.”
Words alone not enough as Southport Attack families demand action
By Jamie Lopez
The families of the girls who died in the Southport Attack said words alone will not be enough as they demanded personal accountability for the missed opportunities to stop the killer.
Chris Walker, the lawyer representing the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, reiterated the families’ desire for action as he welcomed the government’s response to Phase One of the Southport Inquiry.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood published the response this week which crucially said it would accept and follow all of the recommendations given by inquiry chair Sir Adrian Fulford. The retired judge spent a year conducting Phase One, a process which involved hearing heartbreaking testimonies from victims and family members as well as damning evidence about missed opportunities to stop the killer.
Mahmood said reforms were already taking place at Prevent - the anti-terror organisation which three times dismissed referrals relating to Axel Rudakubana - and that a taskforce has been set up to improve the ways in which people with non-ideological fixations on extreme violence are dealt with as well as new legislation being planned to close a clear gap in the current law by criminalising the planning of a mass casualty attack.
She said: “The findings of the report were, rightly, unsparing. The perpetrator came into contact with the state on countless occasions in the years leading up to the attack. Failures in both systems and culture meant multiple opportunities were missed to stop this atrocity.
“That is unacceptable. I am clear that the Inquiry must act as a turning point. In honour of the victims, their families and all affected, meaningful change must now follow.”
Mahmood continued: “We do all of this and more because there is no greater duty than that which we bear, as a government, to keep this country and all who live in it safe.
“Responsibility for what happened in Southport in the summer of 2024 rests with the perpetrator. But there is also an onus on the state to honour the victims, their families and all those affected by working relentlessly to prevent anything like this ever happening again. That is what we will do.”
In his damning 700 page report, Sir Adrian found that from schools and social services to police, Prevent and the killer’s parents, almost everyone who dealt with Rudakubana missed opportunities to identify, address or intervene in his escalating and terrifying behaviour. Both systemic and individual failures were listed and dozens of recommendations for change were given.
Chris Walker, Director of Serious Injury at Bond Turner, speaking on behalf of the three bereaved families said the government’s response “reflects significant progress against the families’ key asks”, particularly in criminalising the planning of mass attacks and the focus on the emerging threat of non-ideological extreme violence. But, he said, key questions remain over how duties to report known threats - such as Rudakubana’s parents hiding his previous actions from authorities - and how accountability for institutional and individual failings will be secured.”
Mr Walker also revealed that Gary Poland - the taxi driver who took the killer to the scene - has since lost his licence. Despite hearing the screams of the children and them being visible in his dashcam footage, Mr Poland waited some 50 minutes before calling 999, instead calling a friend first and even accepting and completing another fare before contacting the emergency services.
Although it said the reasons behind any such decision are private, Sefton Council confirmed that he no longer holds a taxi driver licence following a review into his fitness to hold it which concluded he did not meet the appropriate standards.
Mr Walker said: “The Government has been clear that the ‘missed opportunities’ identified were unacceptable. The families and I firmly believe that, alongside action and legal reform to prevent this kind of attack from ever happening again, there must also be accountability for those who failed to act appropriately. We are engaged with some of these bodies but our demand for disciplinary action remains the same.
“Public statements of regret are hollow if there is no individual accountability, if those people who remain in their position continue to make the same basic mistakes, then this risks similar atrocities from happening. Those individuals who failed the most, must lose their jobs. Otherwise the public will have no confidence that an atrocity like this will be prevented from occurring again.
“We note the Home Secretary’s response to Sir Adrian Fulford’s recommendation to review the ‘duty to warn’ and are keen to engage with the Government on this issue. The Terrorism Act already places legal obligations on individuals to report potential acts of terrorism, and we believe consideration should be given to extending similar duties to known threats involving extreme violence. In addition to a Parental Responsibility law.”
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, of Fletchers Solicitors, which represents the families of 22 survivors, similarly welcomed the government’s acceptance of the recommendations while making clear that words alone will not be enough.
She said: “Our clients are pleased that the government have accepted all the recommendations outlined by the Inquiry chair, but the parents of these girls are yet to see hard evidence of any real change.
“Much of today’s report outlines consultations and desires to amend policies or guidance across multiple agencies, but until the work is done these are just promises.
“It’s almost two years since the Southport attack devastated this community – but only days ago, another depraved teenager was sentenced for possessing numerous weapons and explosives to carry out a mass killing.
“The families affected by this tragedy need to see firm timelines and detailed plans around how changes will be implemented, and how their impact will be measured. They want to be involved in conversations with these agencies to inform changes. And finally this must not get lost when our new Prime Minister is decided – delivering on these promises must remain a priority for whoever comes into power.”