Southport Inquiry Finds the Murders of Three Girls 'Foreseeable and Avoidable' As Agencies Play a 'Merry-Go-Round' of Blame

The first phase of Southport attack inquiry was released on Monday highlighting how Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the attack on a Taylor swift-themed dance class in Southport in July of 2024 due to 'poor information sharing' and a lack of intervention by his parents.

The inquiry chair, Sir Adrian Fulford, said the murder of the three girls: Bebe King, six; Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; as well as the stabbing of 10 others was not a 'bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky,' adding in the report: 'Instead, some form of grave violence ... had been clearly, repeatedly and unambiguously signposted over many years.'

Failures by the Services and the Parents

In the first part of the report, 'AR's parents faced significant challenges, but they were too ready to excuse and defend AR's actions; they failed to stand up to his behaviour and set boundaries (difficult though this was given his sometimes violent response); and they ultimately failed to report the clear escalation in risk in the period 22 to 29 July 2024.'

Sir Fulford said that it was 'highly likely' that if AR had been reported by his parents then the attack does not happen.

Fulford also highlighted the failures of the public services to intervene.

'It is significantly troubling that no agency within our public services had the responsibility to monitor, investigate and take steps to neutralise a risk of this order of magnitude. This was a risk that had been clearly established between October and December 2019.'

Rudakubana's Disturbing History With Law Enforcement

Rudakubana first run-in with law enforcement came in October of 2019 when he made multiple phone calls to Childline saying 'that there was somebody at school who he hated and that he wanted to kill them.'

Per a Guardian article, 'The most striking missed opportunity was in March 2022, when Rudakubana went missing from home and was found with a knife on a bus, telling police he wanted to stab someone. He also admitted to thinking about using poison.'

The two rookie police officers who found him brought him home and told his parents to hide the knives.

'Nevertheless, I consider that if AR had been arrested on 17 March 2022, the attack on 29 July 2024 would probably not have occurred. It is, however, extremely important that this conclusion is not viewed in isolation, he added.'

If he had been arrested a search warrant for his home would have revealed the ricin seeds and the terrorist material on his computer would have been found and the attack probably would of been avoided.

Recommendations From Sir Fulford

Sir Fulford gave out three recommendations to 'fundamental problems' to be taken forward into phase two of the inquiry in the second part of the report.

'Phase 2 should consider what single agency or structure should be appointed or established to record, monitor and co-ordinate interventions for children and young people who present a high risk of serious harm.'

'The development of a shared multi‑agency risk‑assessment tool that is clear, accessible and suitable for use across public sector services.'

'Phase 2 should consider whether there should be a further ability to restrict or monitor access to the internet on the part of children and young people, if a significant threshold is passed concerning the risk they pose to others, he said in the report.'

The second phase begins immediately and will return any findings in spring 2027.