On 29 July 2024, an unimaginable tragedy struck Southport. A knife attack during a children’s dance and yoga class claimed the lives of three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), Bebe King (6), and Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), and injured ten more. Sixteen others survived but continue to live with emotional scars that will last a lifetime.

The Southport Public Inquiry was established to uncover the truth: how did this happen, and what must change to prevent such devastation in the future? Its purpose is to deliver transparency and accountability, ensuring lessons learned lead to real improvements in safeguarding and public protection.

What is the Southport Inquiry?

Chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford, the hearings began on 8 July 2025 for two days and then reconvened on 8th September. The inquiry concluded its first phase on 6 November 2025. Over nine weeks, evidence was gathered from more than 90 witnesses, including experts, agencies, and those directly affected.

The Inquiry’s remit is clear: examine opportunities for intervention in the years leading up to the atrocity and, review how state agencies responded to concerns about the individual responsible and identify systemic failings that allowed risks to go unmanaged.

Phase One: Establishing the Facts

Phase One focused on creating a definitive account of the events leading up to the attack and the attack itself. This included:

• A detailed timeline of the attacker’s interactions with state systems, criminal justice, education, social care, and healthcare.
• Examination of how the attacker was able to circumvent age restrictions to purchase prohibited items, such as machetes, online.
• Analysis of how agencies shared information about the risk the attacker posed to the public.

The Inquiry is assessing whether opportunities were missed to manage the risk posed by the attacker and will make recommendations for improvement where necessary.

What Did the Inquiry Reveal?

Evidence exposed systemic failings across multiple agencies, with repeated missed opportunities to intervene despite years of warning signs. Nicola Brook, Legal Director at Broudie Jackson Canter, who represents adult survivors, said:

“The sheer volume of mistakes and missed opportunities revealed during this section of the Inquiry has come as a shock to our clients and raised new concerns and questions.

"We expected failings, but not on such a prolific scale across multiple agencies. It has since been revealed that a record number of referrals have been made to the counter-terrorism programme, Prevent, with a significant increase following the attack.

“Our question remains, when will this programme work?”

What Happens Next?

With Phase One complete, the Inquiry moves into its next critical stage: analysis and reporting. The team will review all evidence presented, including witness statements, expert testimony, and documentation relating to the attacker’s interactions with state systems.

The Inquiry will then draft its initial findings and recommendations, focusing on:

• Whether agencies had opportunities to manage the risk posed.
• How decision-making and data-sharing processes can be improved.
• Lessons from parallel investigations.

The final phase 1 report is expected by spring 2026 and will inform the consideration of the focus of Phase 2 of the inquiry, which will examine the wider issue of children and young people being drawn into extreme violence. 

We would like to request anyone who has experience of working in this field to get in touch with our team, who would like to hear from anti-knife crime organisations who have relevant insights to share in Phase 2.

How Can Broudie Jackson Canter Help?

Our priority remains supporting victims and families as they navigate the aftermath of this devastating event.

We have extensive experience in major inquiries, including the Manchester Arena Bombing and the Covid Inquiry, and have campaigned for Hillsborough Law to ensure fairness and accountability.

If you would like to speak to our Inquests & Inquiries team, please call us, request a callback, or make an enquiry online.

For further details, visit the official Southport Public Inquiry website.