Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the launch of a two-phase statutory public inquiry into the tragic Southport murders, vowing to uncover the systemic failings that allowed a violent teenager to carry out a brutal attack on a children’s dance class in July 2024.
The horrifying incident, in which 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana killed three young girls—seven-year-old Elsie Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar—sent shockwaves across the nation. The attack took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance session, and has since raised urgent questions about how a known violent individual was able to commit such a heinous act.
Unveiling the inquiry, Cooper said the first phase would “thoroughly investigate” the events leading up to the murders, with a specific focus on the role of policing, the criminal justice system, and the multiple government agencies involved with Rudakubana.
These include MI5, counter-terrorism police, Merseyside Police, NHS England, Lancashire County Council, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education—all of which will face questioning, told Sky News.
It has since been revealed that Rudakubana was referred to the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism scheme on three separate occasions. Despite clear warning signs—including disturbing internet searches and openly violent rhetoric—his case was closed each time without escalation.
Home Office documents and a scathing review of the Prevent programme showed that Rudakubana had researched school shootings, praised the Manchester Arena bombing, and explored topics such as the IRA, the war in Gaza, and the London bombings. Still, authorities did not classify him as a terrorist threat.
“The brutal murder of three young girls: Bebe, Elsie, and Alice in Southport was an unimaginable tragedy,” said Cooper. “We owe it to their families, and all those affected on that terrible day to quickly understand what went wrong, answer difficult questions and do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again.”
“The Southport Inquiry will provide insights into any failings that allowed a young man with a previous history of violence to commit this horrendous attack,” she added.
Sir Adrian Fulford, a former Lord Justice of Appeal, will chair the inquiry, bringing what Cooper described as a “wealth of legal and criminal justice expertise” to the investigation.
The second phase of the inquiry will examine broader concerns around how young people are drawn into extreme violence—a growing issue that officials now acknowledge requires urgent national attention.
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