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

Southport Families’ Lawyer Threatens to Publicly Name Agencies if Disciplinary Actions Fail

The legal representative for the families of three girls killed in the Southport attacks has stated that individuals involved will be named unless appropriate 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.

Public Inquiry Highlights Systemic Failings

A recent public inquiry revealed “catastrophic” failures in parental care and local authority responses. The report criticized the repetitive cycle of referrals, assessments, and handovers between agencies, which failed to prevent the “predictable and preventable” attack. Chris Walker, the families’ legal counsel, indicated readiness to identify individuals from five agencies unless suitable disciplinary actions are taken.

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

Prevent, a Home Office initiative designed to counter extremism, was noted for its struggle to grasp the concept of “ideology.” Walker added, “Prevent have a real issue with understanding the word ‘ideology.’ They’ve failed to implement the ideological consequences or understanding in their various gateways. The cause of someone’s intention to commit mass murder is immaterial—it’s the desire to do so that must be prevented.”

Families Relive Tragedy Through Reports

The inquiry concluded that no agency or multi-agency system took responsibility for assessing the “grave risk” posed by the attacker. His autism was cited as an excuse for past conduct, obscuring the true danger he represented. Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford called for an end to a “culture” of shifting blame or minimizing involvement among agencies.

“Failings were from the attacker’s parental failures and also the individual state failures,” Walker explained. “All of those agencies, the performance of those agencies, failed to a totally unacceptable level. The murders were predictable and preventable. And we find the systemic failures, the failures of the individuals at those five agencies, to be wholly unacceptable.”

Walker confirmed ongoing communication with the involved agencies, stating he would name responsible individuals if disciplinary actions are not satisfactory. “Several months ago, I wrote to all five, emphasizing their performance was entirely unacceptable, and demanded disciplinary proceedings against the individuals,” he said. “Now that the inquiry report is complete, I will follow up to ensure the disciplinary process meets our standards.”

With the release of the 760-page Phase One report, Phase Two of the Southport Inquiry will commence immediately and conclude in Spring 2027. This phase will examine the effectiveness of systems for identifying and managing risks from individuals fixated on extreme violence. Walker warned, “It’s pointless having a glossy book at the end of someone’s desk gathering dust with recommendations. We can’t have a situation where we lurch from disaster to disaster, from inquiry to inquiry—there has to be the change.”

Reflecting on the families’ ongoing struggle, Walker remarked, “The families are living in a horror movie—and yesterday brought it all back. Each new report or incident forces them to relive the trauma of the tragedy once again. And that’s exactly where they are now.”

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