Public inquiry begins into ‘horrific' Southport murders
And on Wednesday, the inquiry will hear evidence from four families whose children were injured in the attack.
A key question for the inquiry is whether the attack could or should have been prevented, given what was known about the killer.
Bebe King, left to right, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were murdered at a dance class in the town last year (Merseyside Police/PA)
Axel Rudakubana was given a life sentence in January, with a minimum term of 52 years – one of the highest minimum terms on record – for murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year.
The 18-year-old also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Sir Adrian said: '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.
Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford said he was 'committed to proceeding at pace and with rigour' (Rick Findler PA)
'We will hold two days of hearings this week and then resume hearings on September 8 at Liverpool Town Hall when I will hear from more of the victims, survivors and their families.
'My focus throughout this inquiry will be a thorough and forensic investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it.
'This will include the perpetrator's history and interactions with all the relevant agencies, how they shared information and responded to the risks that he posed. I will then move into a second phase next year where I will consider the wider issues of children and young people being drawn into extreme violence.
'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.'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the public inquiry in January (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the public inquiry in January to help understand what went wrong and prevent any repetition of similar incidents.
Three separate referrals were made to the Government's counter-terror programme Prevent about Rudakubana's behaviour in the years before the attack, as well as six separate calls to police.
A review into the Prevent referrals published in February found there was sufficient risk posed by Rudakubana to keep his cases within Prevent active but that these were closed prematurely while too much focus was placed on a lack of distinct ideology.
The inquiry will draw on evidence from interviews with witnesses and disclosure from 15 organisations, including MI5, Counter-Terrorism Policing, NHS England and Merseyside Police.
The widespread rioting and civil unrest following the murders is not being examined by the inquiry.
Rachael Wong, director at law firm Bond Turner, representing the three bereaved families, said: '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.
'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.'
The inquiry begins at 2pm.
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Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Southport stabbing murders came after 'wholesale and general failure' to stop Axel Rudakubana in lead-up to attack, inquiry hears
The Southport murders were the result of a 'wholesale and general failure' to stop Axel Rudakubana in the lead-up to the attack, the chairman of the inquiry into the attacks has said. The brutal stabbings last July at a Taylor Swift-themed dance club led to the deaths of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Sir Adrian Fulford cited factors including Axel Rudakubana 's ability to access violent material and buy knives online at a young age, as well as his capacity to leave home unsupervised to commit the masscre. In his opening remarks, Sir Adrian said that far from being 'an unforeseeable catastrophic event, Rudakubana had a 'known predilection for knife crime ' and posed a 'very serious and significant risk of violent harm.' Over a period of more than two years, between January 2022 and July last year, he also managed to obtain an arsenal of weapons, including a bow and arrow, two types of machete, two large knives, a sledgehammer, materials to make Molotov cocktail explosives and other ingredients to make the deadly toxin ricin. The 18-year-old managed to order and buy a 20cm chef's knife using a private VPN online, but his fascination with knives was long held and had been flagged on multiple occasions. Sir Adrian cited the fact that Rudakubana had been expelled from Range High School in Formby but managed to return and attack another pupil with a hockey stick on December 11, 2019. Rudakubana was found with a knife and overheard saying he intended to kill another student during the same incident. He was referred to Prevent on three occasions, on December 5, 2019, February 1, 2021 and April 26, 2021 after being spotted researching school shootings, the Libyan military dictator Colonel Gaddafi and the London Bridge terror attack online. He was reported missing on March 17, 2022 and later stopped on a bus by police armed with a knife. Sir Adrian said it was 'of potential critical importance' that again Rudakubana said during this incident that he wanted to stab someone. The teenager killer also had a passion for violent online content, as well as an ever-growing archive of gruesome articles and books, including works on the Rwandan genocide and Nazi Germany. Additional texts included tomes on urban warfare tactics and others containing gory details about torture and cannibalism. Sir Adrian cited the fact that Rudakubana had accessed online books, research papers, information leaflets and instruction manuals, which included material about explosives, warfare and knives, including one called 'Assassination Using Poisons and Cold Steel,' and another named 'Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual' on his tablets and devices. That manual had been downloaded twice, once on August 30, 2021 and then again on September 4, 2021. A week before the attack, he armed himself with a knife and tried to return to Range High School again, on the day the school broke up for the summer holidays. Immediately before the attack, he watched a video of the violent stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Australia and five other individuals. The award-winning The Trial podcast series on the Southport murders is available now 'Furthermore, his ability, unhindered, to access gravely violent material on the internet, to order knives online at a young age, and then to leave home unsupervised to commit the present attack, speaks to a wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed,' Sir Adrian said. Opening the hearings into last July's attacks, Sir Adrian Fulford said Axel Rudakubana perpetrated 'an almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated' killing spree when he went on the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance club. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died in the attack, which also left eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes seriously injured. They, and another 16 children who were at the club, also suffered significant psychological trauma, Sir Adrian said. Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 52 years - one of the highest minimum terms on record - after pleading guilty to the murders and attempted murders, plus other offences, in January. Soon afterwards, Sir Adrian, a former vice-president of the Court of Appeal, was appointed by the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to carry out a 'forensic investigation' into the events on July 29. He said it was 'truly critical' that the inquiry gets answers for the families of Rudakubana's victims and makes recommendations to prevent anything similar happening in the future. The hearings will examine why several agencies, including the police, the courts, the NHS and social services, who all had contact with Rudakubana, failed to identify the risk he posed. It will also investigate whether the attack could or should have been prevented. Three separate referrals were made to Prevent, the Government's counter-terror programme, about Rudakubana's behaviour, between December 2019 and April 2021, as well as six separate calls to police. A review into the Prevent referrals, published in February, found he posed sufficient risk to keep his cases active but too much focus was placed on a lack of distinct ideology and they were closed prematurely. The inquiry will draw on evidence from interviews with witnesses and disclosure from 15 organisations, including MI5, Counter-Terrorism Policing, NHS England and Merseyside Police. Sir Adrian said 'for the benefit of the victims and their families' Rudakubana would not be named during the hearings, but instead be referred to as 'the perpetrator' or by his initials, AR. He also read out the names of the three girls who died and the 23 ciphers - the letters or numbers - that the inquiry is using for the ones who survived, but whose anonymity is protected. He has also urged the media not to use the mugshot of Rudakubana, issued by Merseyside police, in their reporting of the inquiry because of the 'distress' it caused to the young survivors. He said he had spoken to relatives of the girls present at the dance class, who had told him they found repeated use of it to be 'terrifying.' 'Seeing the face of the perpetrator, often without any warning, has the potential to be significantly retraumatising,' Sir Adrian said. He added that the continued use of the mugshot also risked 'disrupting the process of rebuilding broken lives.' As part of a moving tribute, those seated in the inquiry chamber, at Liverpool Town Hall, where the hearings are being held, were also asked to stand for a minute's silence to remember Alice, Elsie and Bebe. 'The perpetrator is responsible for one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history,' Sir Adrian said. 'However hard we try, ordinary language simply fails to reflect the enormity of what he did on 29 July last year. 'None of the most powerful adjectives even begin to suffice. There are no words adequately to describe what occurred and I'm not going to try and then fail to find them. 'Instead, I simply observe that his crimes impose the heaviest of burdens on our society to investigate speedily but comprehensively how it was possible for AR to have caused such devastation; to analyse the decisions that were or were not taken by multiple individuals and organisations given his deteriorating and deeply troubling behaviour; to identify without fear or favour all of the relevant failings; and to make comprehensive, sensible and achievable recommendations to ensure we have the best chance of intervening with and preventing others who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way.' Sir Adrian said the first phase of the inquiry, which is expected to last until the end of the year, will focus on Rudakubana, his dealings with the relevant agencies and the sharing of information between them. It will also look into how well the risk he posed was addressed, decisions which were made or not made 'along with any missed opportunities' to stop him. Sir Adrian said that such factors, when taken together, suggested that the attack was far from being 'an unforeseeable catastrophic event,' and instead, by July last year, Rudakubana had a 'known predilection for knife crime' and posed a 'very serious and significant risk of violent harm.' He said the inquiry would need to reflect on whether 'the multi-agency handling' of risk, including the operation of the Prevent programme, was sufficient and determine whether there should be better, more effective systems in place to identify, monitor and control those contemplating such serious crimes. Sir Adrian added: 'We need to understand what went wrong and thereafter identify and implement the most effective measures to ensure, to the extent that we are able, that there is no repetition. 'As a society we are not helpless when confronted with individuals who are known to be contemplating acts of such depravity and although no solution will be foolproof, we can identify all of the robust steps which should be taken to protect ourselves, and particularly the most vulnerable, from horrors of this kind. 'This must be undertaken at speed, to provide answers for the victims and their families and to identify all of the changes that urgently need to be made.' Sir Adrian pointed out that the Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously said that Southport 'must be a line in the sand' and that 'nothing would be off the table' for the inquiry to investigate. The chairman said he was determined that the hearings would 'not turn into an exercise of papering over the cracks' but would act as a 'real engine for change.' He also said that the present Crime and Policing Bill, which has passed its second reading in the House of Commons, includes the provision of Youth Diversion Orders, which are aimed at anyone aged under 22 that is involved in terrorist offending, in order to 'divert them from the wider criminal justice system', including prosecution. But he pointed out that Rudakubana's crimes were not terror-related and the inquiry will, therefore, look closely at whether the State should be able to impose restrictions on individuals if there is strong evidence that they intend to commit serious violent crimes per se. Measures such as imposing curfews, tags, or placing restrictions on their movement or ability to use the internet and social media, or to require psychological intervention until the risk is deemed to have been reduced. Sir Adrian said he expected all organisations and witnesses taking part in the hearings to be candid and 'frank' and to 'volunteer information about errors' and things which went wrong. He said he expected his first report on the first phase of the inquiry to be completed by early next year at the latest. Rachael Wong, director at law firm Bond Turner, representing the three bereaved families, said they would be doing all they could to help Sir Adrian get to the 'truth.' '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,' she said. '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.' Impact statements from parents of four child survivors will be read to the inquiry tomorrow. The hearings will then be adjourned until September, when more statements from the remaining relatives of victims and survivors will continue. The second phase will look at the more wider 'troubling trend' of children being drawn into extreme violence and what can be done to reverse this, the chairman added. The widespread rioting and civil unrest following the murders is not being examined by the inquiry.
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Gregg Wallace hit by 50 allegations claiming star pulled down trousers and groped colleague as he's fired by BBC
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GREGG Wallace has been hit by misconduct claims from 50 new people, it was sensationally revealed last night. They include allegations that the star - now sacked as MasterChef presenter - groped one show worker and pulled his trousers down in front of two others. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Gregg Wallace has been sacked from his job at the BBC Credit: PA 5 The presenter has been slammed with 50 new allegations of misconduct Credit: PA One of the two described it a 'predatory' encounter. She also claimed a boss dismissed her report of the alleged incident as she was over 16 and 'not being Jimmy Savile-d'. Another woman claimed Wallace groped her bottom while he spoke to ex co-host John Torode at the bar, during a wrap party in 2013. The bombshell claims emerged after a nine-month sexual misconduct investigation into the star, who denies any wrongdoing. And the claims come after Wallace, 60, stepped down as MasterChef presenter last November. He exited the show after 13 people accused him of making inappropriate sexual comments. Wallace - who has also fronted Celebrity Masterchef, Masterchef: The Professionals and Saturday Kitchen - came out fighting yesterday after it emerged he had been axed. In a lengthy online statement he insisted he had been cleared of 'the most serious and sensational accusations'. On Instagram, where he has 220,000 followers, Wallace said: 'After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged. 'The most damaging claims were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.' Gregg Wallace offers advice to fans for £200 But hours after Wallace's online post, BBC News revealed the new claims against him during a probe by independent law firm Lewis Silkin. It was hired by MasterChef production company Banijay to conduct a thorough investigation. The BBC said last night it had not seen the Banijay report. But its story said the corporation had been contacted by people across a range of shows and settings. Most allegations were said to centre on inappropriate sexual comments, though 11 women are said to have accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour. That behaviour is said to include groping and touching. The allegations raise fresh questions for the Beeb and Banijay over their oversight of Wallace's alleged behaviour and their duty of care to staff. One woman - called Alice by the BBC - claims Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room. 5 The presenter has been accused of 'predatory' behaviour Credit: Getty She accused TV veteran Wallace of 'disgusting and predatory' behaviour. Another, using the name Sophie, says she was left feeling 'absolutely horrified' and 'quite sick' when he allegedly groped her. Others who contacted the corporation with fresh claims about the star include a participant on Saturday Kitchen, which Wallace hosted in 2002-2003. The morning cooking show was, at that time, produced in-house by the BBC. During a dinner ahead of filming in 2002, 'Sophie' claimed Wallace put his hand under the table and onto her groin, saying: 'Do you like that?' Another woman is a university student who says she met Wallace in a nightclub with friends in 2013. She claims that - after she asked to take a photo with him - he reached under her skirt and grabbed and groped her bottom. The BBC reported that another woman alleged that Wallace put his hand up her dress at an industry ball in 2014 and groped her. And a junior worker claims that - in 2012 - Wallace dropped his trousers in front of her. She alleges he was not wearing underwear. 5 One male cop said he was silenced when raising concerns about Wallace Credit: PA A string of men have also claimed they witnessed Wallace making inappropriate sexual comments, it was reported. A former male cop has also said he tried to raise concerns about Wallace's sexually inappropriate language to the BBC in 2023 but was stonewalled. And other recent claims include a 19-year-old MasterChef worker who says she tried to complain about Wallace's comments about her body in 2022. The BBC said many of the women were young freelancers who felt unable to complain about Wallace's behaviour at the time amid fears it would hamper their careers. But one - 'Alice' - said she voiced concerns to bosses but claims they were dismissed. She worked on MasterChef between 2011 and 2013 when she was in her 20s. At the time, the show was produced by Shine, a company now owned by Banijay. She alleged that Wallace once asked her into his dressing room, saying he needed help getting into a black-tie outfit. She claimed he pushed her down onto a sofa, pulled his trousers down and told her he wasn't wearing any underwear, the BBC said. She reported what had happened, she says, but was told by a senior production member: 'You're over 16, you're not being 'Jimmy Saviled'.' Gregg Wallace - MasterChef scandal in Brief GREGG Wallace has stepped down from his MasterChef hosting role after a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour. But what's the situation? Regular MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is currently the subject of a probe after an investigation was launched into his alleged misconduct over a number of years. Gregg has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark - accusations he denies. The 60-year-old has now stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him are investigated. Yet the former greengrocer spoke out on social media to blast the "women of a certain age" who he claimed were behind the allegations. The cooking show's production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace's alleged misconduct. Alice said she felt let down and left with the impression she should 'be grateful and get on with it' due to her lowly role. She has contributed to the Banijay inquiry, the BBC said. A woman - 'Anna' - claims Wallace pulled his trousers down in front of her as she worked on a photo shoot with him in 2012. The alleged incident occurred when they were alone together in a dressing room area - and she could see he was not wearing underwear. Wallace is said to have changed into the clothes she was holding from before she left. She also claimed Wallace made lewd comments and was 'touchy-feely'. Anna said she felt 'undermined' , unable to complain due to her junior position. She told the BBC she had spoken up after being angered by Wallace's Instagram video last year which saw him claim allegations had come from 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age'. The Beeb reported her as saying: 'Is he saying it was OK to behave that way with younger women, like I was at the time?' Another MasterChef worker, Sophie, claims she was groped by the presenter at a wrap party at the end of the 2013 series. She described the incident - which she claims happened as she was talking to Wallace and then co-host John Torode - he was about as 'a full-handed squeeze'. She added: 'I turned around and it was Gregg.' There is no suggestion Mr Torode was aware of the incident. Again, the woman feared complaints would be ignored. Sophie has also contributed to the Banijay inquiry. 5 Wallace has hit back at his former employers at the BBC Credit: Getty Some new allegations happened away from television - one of them in the mid-to-late 2000s in Nottingham during a book tour. Publicist 'Esther' said Wallace pushed his way into her hotel room, took off his clothes, and then asked her: 'Exactly what is it that you do?' She says she was shocked and made it clear she was not interested, telling him: 'That's not part of my job.' Esther claims he then says he climbed into her bed and fell asleep - prompting her to sleep at the edge of the bed, with her clothes on. She claims that - when he woke up - Wallace put his hand on her bottom and commented that she had a 'nice arse'. She ordered him to leave, and he did, it was reported. Esther did not complain at the time, but has contributed to the Banijay inquiry. Yesterday, Wallace said: 'I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.' He also accused the BBC of 'peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories'. On Instagram, he said: 'I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.' The BBC News report also said some people had got in touch to insiated Walace's behaviour amounted to 'jokes' and 'banter'. But a cameraman, who worked on the BBC show Eat Well For Less in 2016, said he heard Wallace make inappropriate comments in front of the production team. This is alleged to have included asking a gay female director about her 'lesbian clothing'. He said: 'It's not banter, it's not how you should behave in a professional workplace,' the BBC reportded. A recent report into the BBC found that a small number of its stars and managers 'behave unacceptably' at work, and that bosses often fail to tackle them. In response, the broadcaster said it would introduce reforms, and its chairman Samir Shah said he would draw 'a line in the sand'. Banijay has said that it will not comment on the accusations until the report is published.
South Wales Argus
8 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Kneecap fans at Glasgow gig rally around trio after festival slot cancelled
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