Southport murders ‘one of the worst crimes in UK history,’ says chairman as inquiry opens
The murders of three girls in Southport was 'one of the most egregious crimes' in UK history, the chairman of the public inquiry said today.
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Chairman Sir Adrian Fulford opened the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on Tuesday.
Sir Adrian, a former vice-president of the Court of Appeal, said "ordinary language fails to reflect the enormity" of the knife attack on the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year, when Axel Rudakubana murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
Such was the horror of the attacks that Sir Adrian refused to allow Rudakubana's name to be uttered at the inquiry "for the benefit of the victims and their families, for whom this is an issue of significant and wholly understandable sensitivity", choosing instead to refer to him as AR for the remainder of the proceedings.
The 18-year-old, who was given a life sentence in January with a minimum term of 52 years, also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
In his opening statement, Sir Adrian said: "As a society we are not helpless when confronted with individuals who are known to be contemplating acts of such depravity and although no solution will be foolproof, we can identify all of the robust steps which should be taken to protect ourselves, and particularly the most vulnerable, from horrors of this kind.
"And this must be undertaken at speed, to provide answers for the victims and their families and to identify all of the changes that urgently need to be made."
He said: "There are no words adequately to describe what occurred and I am not going to try (and then fail) to find them.
"Instead, I simply observe that his crimes impose the heaviest of burdens on our society to investigate speedily but comprehensively how it was possible for AR to have caused such devastation; to analyse the decisions that were or were not taken by multiple individuals and organisations given his deteriorating and deeply troubling behaviour; 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."
Sir Adrian said the inquiry would be split into two phases and the first would analyse Rudakubana's history and his dealings with relevant agencies, along with any missed opportunities to prevent what happened.
This would include the criminal justice system, his education, his engagement with social and health care services and his relationship with his family.
A second phase, taking place next year, would consider the wider phenomenon of children and young people who are being drawn into extreme violence and what should be done to reverse the "troubling trend", the chairman said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the public inquiry in January to help understand what went wrong and prevent any repetition of similar incidents.
Sir Adrian said he had no doubt the inquiry's two phases were a "truly critical undertaking" to "understand what went wrong" and ensure there was no repetition.