Foreword

¶1. The events of 29 July 2024 mark one of the darkest moments in recent national memory. Three young girls – Alice, Bebe and Elsie – were murdered in an act of chilling brutality. Many other children and adults suffered grave physical and/or psychological harm, including Child C1, Child C2, Child C3, Child C4, Child C5, Child C6, Child C7, Child C8, Child J, Child K, Child L, Child M, Child N, Child O, Child P, Child Q, Child R, Child S, Child T, Child U, Child V, Child W and Child X, together with Ms Leanne Lucas, Mr Jonathan Hayes and Mrs Heidi Liddle. I recognise not only the depth of their suffering but the strength, dignity and resilience they have shown, and I pay tribute also to the families, professionals and members of the community whose lives were forever marked by this tragedy.

¶2. From the outset of this Inquiry, I have acknowledged that ordinary language simply fails to capture the enormity of what occurred. No words can adequately reflect the suffering endured, nor the courage shown by those directly affected. It is in honour of them, and in pursuit of meaningful change, that this Inquiry has carried out its work.

¶3. In establishing this statutory Inquiry, the government made clear that society must not allow such an appalling event to pass without answers. While the perpetrator’s responsibility is absolute, the public, and above all the families and survivors, are unquestionably entitled to understand how a young person with a known history of deeply troubling behaviour, repeated contact with a number of agencies and organisations, and for whom there were clear indicators of serious risk was able to inflict such devastation. That central question has shaped every phase of our examination.

¶4. Phase 1 of the Inquiry has involved a rigorous and fair scrutiny of the years, months and days leading up to the attack. We have looked closely at the decisions made by a range of agencies – across education, health, social care, policing, youth justice and more – examining how information was shared, interpreted and acted upon. Our hearings heard profoundly moving impact statements and commemorative portraits from the bereaved families and survivors, followed by extensive witness evidence. I am deeply grateful for the candour, courage and dignity with which so many participated. Their accounts have greatly assisted this Inquiry and the urgency of its task.

¶5. Throughout this process, we have remained acutely aware of the risk of retraumatisation, particularly for the young child survivors. Our procedures have therefore been shaped by the need to protect them – including anonymity measures, careful handling of sensitive material, and restrictions on the public display of distressing evidence. For the same reasons, the name of the perpetrator was not used during the Inquiry and is not used in my report. He is simply to be referred to as ‘the perpetrator’ or AR. The work of this Inquiry has been significantly enhanced by the professionalism, co-operation and dedication of the Core Participants, their legal teams, and the many organisations that responded promptly to extensive disclosure and witness statement requests.

¶6. Following the establishment of the Inquiry, I was fortunate to be able to secure the assistance of four very experienced members of the Bar to act as Counsel to the Inquiry, a very experienced Solicitor and an equally experienced Secretary. They were Nicholas Moss KC, Leading Counsel to the Inquiry, Richard Boyle, First Junior Counsel to the Inquiry, and John Goss and Harriet Wakeman, Second Junior Counsel to the Inquiry; Caroline Featherstone, Solicitor to the Inquiry; and Kate Anderson, Secretary to the Inquiry. To each of them and their staff I am greatly indebted for the skill, industry, unfailing courtesy and positivity they displayed throughout what has been an exceptionally challenging undertaking, given, most particularly, the timeframe within which the Home Secretary asked me to provide this report. It was undoubtedly in the public interest and that of the victims and their families for this Inquiry to be conducted at speed, but the resultant pressures have been considerable.

¶7. In a similar vein, I express my gratitude to the legal representatives and advisers of the Core Participants for their spirit of co-operation throughout the Inquiry. Their preparedness to accept the collegial approach sought by me through the Inquiry Legal Team has been key to ensuring the smooth running of the proceedings. It enabled us to find sensible resolutions to seemingly intractable problems in the leadup to and during the course of the hearings.

¶8. I am profoundly grateful to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Barbara Murray, and the City of Liverpool for the generous manner in which the Inquiry has been hosted in Liverpool Town Hall. The Inquiry has inevitably caused a significant degree of disruption for the council but the assistance we have received has been unstinting.

¶9. The Inquiry has been provided with outstanding technical support (the audio-visual, broadcasting and transcription arrangements have been exemplary), and similarly the security, witness support and in-court assistance has been excellent. All of these arrangements were critical to the success of the hearings and the preparation of this report.

¶10. This report represents the culmination of many months of analysis. It aims to provide the fullest possible explanation of what occurred, to identify each missed opportunity and systemic failing, and to make practical, sensible and achievable recommendations. Some of these recommendations are urgent; others will require longer-term structural reform. But all share a single purpose: to reduce the risk of another young person following a similar path to catastrophic violence.

¶11. It is my sincere hope that this Inquiry will stand as a turning point. The Prime Minister described Southport as a “line in the sand”; the Home Secretary emphasised the need for answers unburdened by cultural or institutional sensitivities. Those expectations have guided this work. They must now guide its implementation.

¶12. Above all, I recognise that no process, however thorough, can repair the loss suffered by the families whose daughters did not return home that day. Nothing can undo the trauma endured by the survivors. But I hope that this report provides clarity, accountability, and the foundations for meaningful change. It is a privilege to present it with profound respect for all those affected by this tragedy.

¶Sir Adrian Fulford

¶Chair, Southport Public Inquiry