A public inquiry into the July 2024 Southport attack has formally opened at Liverpool Town Hall.
The statutory inquiry, chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford, aims to examine the systemic failings that allowed a teenager to commit a deadly knife attack at a children’s dance event on Hart Street.
Sir Adrian opened proceedings on Monday, delivering a measured but forceful statement outlining the scope of the investigation. He confirmed that the attacker, referred to only as “the perpetrator” or “AR” to protect victims’ welfare, was responsible for the deaths of three young girls and the injury of ten other people.
Sir Adrian Fulford said: “On July 29, 2024, [AR] perpetrated an almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated knife attack. He murdered three of the young girls taking part in the event. He left eight other children and 2 adults gravely physically injured. An additional sixteen escaped without physical injury but they, like all of those who were bodily wounded, suffered significant psychological trauma.
He said the purpose of the inquiry was “to identify without fear or favour all of the relevant failings; and to make comprehensive, sensible and achievable recommendations to ensure we have the best chance of intervening with and preventing others who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way.”
Phase One will focus on the events leading up to the attack, including AR’s background, his engagement with social services, police, schools, mental health care, and the Prevent programme.
Phase Two, scheduled for 2026, will explore wider national issues relating to youth radicalisation and extreme violence.
The inquiry chair highlighted a catalogue of missed warning signs in AR’s history. These included multiple referrals to Prevent, incidents of school violence, possession of weapons, and evidence of an interest in terrorism and violent ideologies.
Tribute to Victims
Sir Adrian paused proceedings to formally honour those affected. He named the three children who lost their lives: seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, and six-year-old Bebe King. Survivors were referred to by ciphers to protect their identities, and a minute’s silence was held in their memory.
He also expressed concern for the welfare of child survivors, cautioning that media and public commentary must avoid retraumatising victims. Reporting restrictions, including anonymity protections, remain in place and will be strictly enforced throughout the inquiry.
The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has stated that the inquiry is essential in addressing failures by multiple state agencies. AR had known contact with the police, courts, social services, and mental health services between 2019 and 2024.
Hearing will continue tomorrow with the first four victim impact statements. Further commemorative evidence is scheduled for September.
Sir Adrian also addressed the circulation of the perpetrator’s mugshot, which he described as “terrifying and singularly distressing” for the victims. Media were urged to refrain from its further publication, with the chair warning of potential legal consequences if restrictions are breached.
Phase One of the inquiry is expected to conclude by the end of 2025. Recommendations may be issued ahead of that deadline, especially if urgent reforms are identified. The second phase, set to begin in 2026, will assess national frameworks for identifying and managing threats from young individuals exhibiting extreme violent ideation.
Concluding his opening remarks, Sir Adrian said the inquiry would proceed with “speed, fairness, and thoroughness”.
The inquiry continues.
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