Southport Inquiry’s first Report published

The Southport Inquiry, chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford, published its first report on 13 April 2026. The Inquiry was established after the events of 29 July 2024 when a 17-year-old, AR, carried out a knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport in Merseyside. He murdered three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King, and injured ten other people. Sixteen others survived the attack but live with the serious emotional scars. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025, following which the Secretary of State for the Home Department established this statutory inquiry.

The first phase of Southport Inquiry hearings took place between July and November 2025, investigating not only the events of 29 July 2024 but also AR’s contacts with a wide variety of public bodies as well as with social media platforms and online sellers of weapons.

Sir Adrian concluded that the attacks could and should have been prevented. He found that the risk of serious harm AR posed was apparent well before the attack took place. The Inquiry identified a series of fundamental problems: an absence of risk ownership across agencies, critical failures in information sharing, a misunderstanding of AR’s autism spectrum disorder, and a lack of oversight of online activity. It also identified significant parental failures. Against the background of those fundamental problems, the Report set out findings of a number of serious failings in managing that risk across mental health services, social care and both local and counter-terrorism policing, without which the attack probably would not have occurred. Sir Adrian made 67 recommendations for immediate and future action.

Phase 2 of the Inquiry, the Terms of Reference for which were released today, will investigate the wider issue of violence-fixated individuals and the systems in place for managing the risk they pose.

Jason Beer KC and Jonathan Dixey appeared on behalf of Counter Terrorism Police North West.

Francesca Whitelaw KC, Cicely Hayward and Rob Harland appeared on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

John Goss was Counsel to the Inquiry.

5 Essex Chambers holds a Band 1 ranking in Inquests & Public Inquiries in both Chambers UK and Legal 500. Its barristers have appeared in virtually every major public inquiry in recent years, whether as Counsel to the Inquiry, for public bodies, for individuals, or for private companies.