We will name police and social workers unless action taken, Southport families lawyer says

We will name police and social workers unless action taken, Southport families lawyer says

Chris Walker, representing the families of three girls killed in the Southport attacks, has stated that individuals responsible for the incident will be publicly identified unless disciplinary measures are implemented. The victims—Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine—were murdered by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in June 2024.

The inquiry concluded that “catastrophic” failures in parental and local authority oversight were central to the tragedy. A continuous cycle of referrals, evaluations, and transfers between agencies failed to halt the “predictable and preventable” attack. Walker emphasized that five key agencies, including Prevent, Lancashire Police, Lancashire Social Services, CAMHS, and FCAMHS, would be scrutinized.

“There are five particular state entities which are causing us most concern,” Walker stated. “We, frankly, find their behaviour unacceptable. Prevent, Lancashire Police, Lancashire Social Services, CAMHS, and FCAMHS.”

Walker explained that the agencies had not adequately assessed the attacker’s risk. “His autism was used as an excuse for his past conduct,” he said, adding that no entity recognized the full threat he posed. The inquiry chairman, Sir Adrian Fulford, criticized a “culture” of deferring responsibility among agencies.

“Failings were from [the attacker’s] parental failures and also the individual state failures,” Walker noted. “All of those agencies, the performance of those agencies, failed to a totally unacceptable level.”

Walker highlighted Prevent’s misunderstanding of “ideology,” stating that the service had not effectively translated ideological risks into action. “The cause of somebody’s intention to cause mass murder is immaterial,” he said. “It is the desire to cause mass murder that has to be prevented.”

With the 760-page Phase One report finalized, Phase Two of the Southport Inquiry will begin immediately, aiming to evaluate risk management systems for those fixated on extreme violence. Walker stressed the need for accountability, warning that “pointless” recommendations in glossy reports would not suffice without meaningful change.

“We can’t have a situation where we lurch from disaster to disaster,” he said. “Every time there’s a new report, they are reliving the horror movie once again.”

Walker described the families’ experience as “living in a horror movie,” with the latest developments reigniting their trauma. The inquiry will report back in Spring 2027. For more updates, follow BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.