Southport Inquiry: John Beggs KC, James Berry KC, Oliver Williamson, Chloe Hill
8th July 2025
The Southport Inquiry, chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford, opened today in Liverpool Town Hall.
On 29 July 2024, Axel Rudakubana carried out a brutal knife attack at a children’s dance club in Southport. He murdered 3 young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, and injured 10 other people. Sixteen others survived the attack but live with the serious emotional consequences.
Phase 1 of the Inquiry aims to (i) establish a definitive account of the events leading up to the Southport attack and the attack itself; and (ii) review the decision-making and information-sharing by local services and agencies which interacted with Axel Rudakubana prior to the attack to examine whether there were opportunities to manage the risk he posed to the public, making any required recommendations for improvements.
The Inquiry is the subject of widespread ongoing media coverage.
James Berry KC and Chloe Hill act for Merseyside Police.
John Beggs KC and Oliver Williamson act for Lancashire Police.
Back to index