Families of Southport stabbing victims deserve 'answers' as inquiry is launched
Lawyers for the families of the three young girls stabbed to death in Southport a year ago are "committed to getting answers" from the inquiry which starts today.
The Southport Inquiry launches this afternoon in Liverpool looking first at how teenaged killer Axel Rudakubana was dealt with by police and other authorities before looking more widely into the issue of young people drawn towards violent extremism. Lawyers for the three bereaved families said in a statement: 'Ultimately as legal representatives of the bereaved families we are committed to getting answers for them.
"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." The Southport Inquiry was announced by the Home Secretary in January following the conviction of 18-year old Axel Rudakubana for three sadistic murders of young girls on July 29 2024.
Rudakubana killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the Merseyside town that day. He also attacked eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes, who tried to disarm him.
The inquiry is chaired by former Court of Appeal vice-president Sir Adrian Fulford who will make an opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall this afternoon. Evidence from the families of four children who were injured in the attacks will be heard on Wednesday.
Their lawyers Rachael Wong, of Bond Turner, and Chris Walker, also of Bond Turner who is their Recognised Legal Representative, said: 'Crucially the Chair has not only been tasked with looking into the event itself, but the history and involvement of a number of state bodies in considering what actions could have been taken to prevent the Southport attack.
'The second phase of this Inquiry will then look into a much wider issue of violent extremism and how young people specifically are exposed and drawn in. 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.'
Ahead of the inquiry opening, Sir Adrian said in a statement: '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. 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.' After two days of hearings this week, the inquiry will resume again on September 8.
Rudakubana was arrested on the day of the attack, but initially denied responsibility for the deaths, before changing his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial in January. He then refused to leave his cell to face the court when he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years three days later.
It has emerged that Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent anti-terror scheme three times between 2019 and 2021. This was due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings but he was judged not to be at risk of being radicalised.
Riots spread across the UK, targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, after false information spread on social media about the identity of the Southport attacker.
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The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
2 in 5 arrested over last summer's riots had been reported for domestic abuse
Two out of every five people arrested after participating in last summer's riots had been previously reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose. Police data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws shows that 41% of 899 people arrested for taking part in the violent disorder last July and August had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence. For those arrested by one police force, this figure was as high as 68%. Previous offences include actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, stalking, breach of restraint and non-molestation orders, controlling coercive behaviour and criminal damage. The disclosures come amid a growing debate over the legitimacy of protests outside asylum hotels. Police have issued a dispersal order at Epping, Essex, after a series of demonstrations outside the Bell hotel, which broke out after an Ethiopian asylum seeker who had recently arrived on a small boat was charged with sexual assault against a local girl. Ministers have said protesters are 'upset for legitimate reasons'. Far-right activists have become involved in promoting them online and have been present, in some cases clashing with police. Last summer's riots spread across the country in response to the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July. Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered by Axel Rudakubana, who has been jailed for a minimum of 52 years. The Guardian's data was obtained through FoI requests sent to 21 police forces covering the 27 towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland where riots took place. The 27 towns were identified as sites of significant disorder in a House of Commons briefing document in September. Between 30 July and 7 August 2024, an estimated 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place. Many of these were violent, with participants attacking mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. In Bristol, where there were 60 arrests, more than two-thirds of those arrested had been the subject of a previous domestic abuse report. In Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, Cleveland police reported there had been 107 arrests, 44 of whom had been subject to a prior domestic abuse report. In Rotherham, where rioters set fire to an asylum hotel, 75 people were arrested, 35 of whom had been reported for domestic abuse, South Yorkshire police said. Joshua Lane, a 27-year-old former serviceman who threw missiles at police guarding the hotel, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. He had previously received a suspended sentence for stalking, battery and criminal damage. There were 91 arrests in Sunderland where rioters set fire to cars, a building and attacked a mosque. Of those, 38 were subject to a prior domestic abuse report. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion One of the first arrests by Merseyside police for participation in the Southport riot was made after a suspect in a domestic incident was identified by officers based on footage from the previous day's violent disorder. Merseyside police arrested 160 people after days of disturbances in Liverpool and Southport, but did not provide the Guardian with a number of prior domestic abuse reports because of prohibitive costs. Gareth Metcalfe, 44, described by a judge as 'at the forefront of the disorder' in Southport, had previous convictions including sexual assault and breach of a non-molestation order. In Hull, where 47 of the 151 people arrested had been reported for prior domestic abuse, Ethan Armstrong, 26, who was jailed for violent disorder, had previously been convicted for causing actual bodily harm after repeatedly punching an ex-girlfriend. The Metropolitan police said there were 165 arrests in Whitehall last summer in connection to the riots, 48 of whom had previously been reported for domestic abuse. This information provided by police forces indicates overlaps between public violent disorder and domestic violence and abuse. Outcomes for reports held by police indicate that less than a quarter of individuals had been charged for any of the domestic abuse offences for which they were a suspect. Isabella Lowenthal-Isaacs, the policy manager at Women's Aid, said: 'A year on from the terrible Southport attacks on young girls, and as conversation about far-right protests once again starts to appear in the media, it is tempting to treat these events as isolated. 'However, the reality is that these acts of violence are part of a wider pattern rooted in the same dynamics that drive domestic abuse and violence against women and girls: control, coercion, and misogyny.' The National Police Chiefs' Council indicates that by May, a total of 1,840 arrests had been made in relation to the disorder and there were 1,103 charges related to the violence, most of which were serious public order offences. Most of those charged have come from the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods. Analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales data also shows that in the areas where riots took place, there is a higher prevalence of domestic abuse incidents (39 per 1,000 people) compared with the rest of the country (27 per 1,000 people). In Middlesbrough, a protest that began as two minutes' silence for the three lives lost ended in a 1,000-strong riot as homes and cars were damaged, with 'race checkpoints' set up for drivers. A recent report from the home affairs committee into the police response to the rioting called on the police forces to develop greater capacity to monitor and respond to social media. It also recommended the government set out ambitious reforms to meet its commitment to halve violence against women and girls. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The scale of violence and abuse suffered by women and girls in this country is nothing less than a national emergency. 'That's why we have pledged to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and will set out our transformative strategy to achieve that goal in the coming months.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
SARAH VINE: The reason so many of us feel at the end of our tether is that the political class have never let us have a truly honest debate about mass immigration
When 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, armed with a 20cm long chef's knife, walked into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and began stabbing teachers and little girls, he not only took the lives of three innocents – six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. He also triggered a groundswell of resentment, confusion and anger that, one year on, has not abated. The resulting riots, fuelled by misinformation and, in particular, the erroneous assumption that Rudakubana was an asylum seeker (he was not, although his parents had come to Britain from Rwanda), exposed an ugly streak of anti-immigrant feeling.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Pub chef who sexually assaulted and murdered artist as she walked dog gets six more years in jail
A pub chef who murdered an artist while she walked her dog will spend nearly six more years in prison after Court of Appeal judges increased his sentence. Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25-and-a-half years in February for killing Claire Knights, 54, in Kent almost two years ago. He ambushed her as she walked back from a beach near Minnis Bay, sexually assaulted and then murdered her before dumping her body. The 'highly sexualised' killer was seen on CCTV going to the gym and buying snacks just hours before the brutal murder. The 21-year-old then 'feigned' symptoms of psychosis following his arrest, the Court of Appeal was told on Friday. His sentence was referred by the Solicitor General for being unduly lenient, with Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Calver and Judge Angela Morris increasing Van-Pooss' minimum term to one of 31 years. Jonathan Polnay KC, for the SG, said the judge at Canterbury Crown Court did not give enough weight to how Ms Knights had been targeted as a lone woman, the extreme nature of the violence and that her body had been hidden for two days before it was discovered. He also said the judge gave too much credit for Van-Pooss's guilty plea and his sentence therefore 'required an uplift of substance'. Quoting Canterbury Crown Court judge Mr Justice Garnham, he said: 'This was a merciless beating causing catastrophic brain injuries and multiple facial fractures. There would have been a very significant period of mental and physical suffering. 'She must have been terrified as she considered the likelihood that you were going to kill her.' Mr Polnay added: 'That is an aggravating factor of some weight. That's not part and parcel of a murder.' He also referenced mitigating factors considered by the original judge. One of those was Van-Pooss' guilty plea, which he submitted in December 2024, over a year after Ms Knights' death in August 2023. This followed several reports to determine the 21-year-old's mental status due to his presenting psychotic symptoms. It was deemed he did not have psychosis, and it was suggested he had faked such symptoms. Mr Polnay said: 'It took some considerable time for the plea to be entered. Reports were necessary for this case. 'I entirely accept the offender does have a mental disorder, but he inevitably made the process longer and more complicated. 'He is someone who has malingered and continued to present false symptoms.' Stephen Moses KC, for Van-Pooss, said the targeting was 'a matter of moments rather than pre-meditated'. He added: 'Any findings of fact that there was malingering are explained by the personality disorder, but are not, in our case, perverting the course of justice. 'Matters were consistent with a personality disorder rather than simply framing mental illness.' He also put forward that a previous defence taken by Van Pooss - that Ms Knights made sexual advances towards him - was never advanced, so should not alter the level of credit given. Ultimately, the Court of Appeal judges decided a mistake had been made in the original sentencing. Van-Pooss also pleaded guilty to upskirting another woman at the pub where he worked the day before he killed Ms Knights. After she reported this, Van-Pooss was dismissed on August 22, 2023, and he left, carrying a backpack with a chef's knife inside. He then built a 'den' by the railway lines near Minnis Bay, Lord Justice Edis said in his judgment. Ms Knights was believed to have been walking a white and brown spaniel called Zebulon when she ran into Van-Pooss the following day. Van-Pooss acted in a 'simple' and 'calculated' way, the judge added, as he beat her and stomped on her head, causing fractures and brain damage. Ms Knights was found concealed in a dyke, having been pushed into the water while she was still alive. Van-Pooss was arrested for the upskirting offence on the evening of the killing, and was later charged with murder. Lord Justice Edis said the killing of a lone woman created 'widespread concern in the local community' and that Van-Pooss received an unduly lenient sentence. He added: 'The first thing we wish to say is that we commend the experienced judge for his approach to this case. 'The judge, in dealing with a horrifying and dreadful case of this kind, has to firmly try and succeed in maintaining an objective approach. 'The judge's job is to apply the law it the facts of the case and to be fair to the person who is to be sentenced. That is not easy in any case like this. 'We believe in making this decision, the judge did fall into error because the aggravating factors did outweigh the mitigating factors. 'That is enforced by what we have to say about the defendant's conduct in mimicking psychosis.' They said a starting term of 33 years should have been given, with only two years deducted for the late guilty plea. Ms Knight's son Elliot Knights-Sloane and her younger sister Annie Watson spoke to KentOnline outside court today. Mr Knights-Sloane said: 'There were things that we felt were glossed over and ignored that were hugely significant in the first hearing, and have now been brought up and actually addressed. 'The principle of that is what matters more than anything else.' His aunt added: 'The three judges recognised that the perpetrator had strung this all along and malingered all the way through and fed the police the story. 'There's a sense of relief now, because every time you come (to court), it just throws you straight back to the horror of it. 'This means now we can get on and we can remember Claire as she should be remembered, and that's what's important.' Mr Knights-Sloane continued: 'We want her death to mean something, and we want something positive to come out of her death. 'If we can do anything towards stopping violence against women, that would be a positive thing.' At Canterbury Crown Court, Ms Knights' friends and family heard harrowing details of how she was ambushed as she strolled with her Springer spaniel in Minnis Bay, Birchington, on August 23, 2023. Van-Pooss subjected her to a vicious sexual assault and beating before dumping her unconscious, but still alive, in a nearby water-filled dyke. Solicitor General Lucy Rigby said: 'Lawrence Van-Pooss's attack on Claire Knights was horrific. He assaulted and brutally murdered her, in a totally random attack. 'I welcome the court's decision to increase Van-Pooss's sentence and I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Claire's family and loved ones.'
