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In Liverpool, the families of three young schoolgirls who were tragically murdered are calling for meaningful change as the public inquiry into the Southport stabbing attacks is set to begin. Alice Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Bebe King, ages nine, seven, and six respectively, lost their lives on 29 July 2024 when Axel Rudakubana, then 17 years old, embarked on a random attack during a dance workshop on Hart Street. The Southport Inquiry is scheduled to kick off its live hearings at Liverpool Town Hall this week under the leadership of retired senior judge Sir Adrian Fulford.
Sir Adrian Fulford emphasizes that the inquiry will first delve into the circumstances surrounding the horrific attack before examining how young individuals become ensnared in acts of extreme violence. The families of the victims, represented by law firm Bond Turner’s director Rachael Wong and solicitor Chris Walker, acknowledged the irreplaceable loss they have suffered. While nothing can bring back the lives of Alice, Elsie, and Bebe, they stress the importance of thorough public scrutiny to bring about genuine change and ensure such a tragedy never recurs.
Beginning at 14:00 BST, the inquiry will commence with an opening statement from Sir Adrian, followed by testimonies from some of the injured families on Wednesday morning. Axel Rudakubana, hailing from Banks in Lancashire, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years at Liverpool Crown Court in January. Rudakubana, now 18, had pleaded guilty to the murders of the three girls as well as multiple counts of attempted murder involving children and adults. Additionally, he admitted to producing ricin and possessing terrorist materials, including an al-Qaeda training manual.
In light of reports alleging Rudakubana’s assault on a prison officer with boiling water at HMP Belmarsh in May, Sir Adrian deemed the attack one of the most heinous crimes in the nation’s history and vowed to conduct the inquiry efficiently and with rigor. The initial phase of the inquiry will closely examine Rudakubana’s interactions with Prevent, the government’s counter-extremism program, to which he had been referred three times, along with other relevant agencies. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper initiated the inquiry in April, expressing a commitment to uncovering the fault lines and taking decisive action to prevent similar tragedies in the future
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