Home Secretary vows to 'right wrongs' after Southport probe finds murder of girls 'could have been prevented'

Home Secretary vows to 'right wrongs' after Southport probe finds murder of girls 'could have been prevented' Shabana Mahmood accepted the recommendations from the first phase of the Southport Inquiry in full and promised the Government will do 'whatever is needed to protect the public' The Home Secretary has vowed to “right the wrongs” identified by an inquiry into the Southport killings. Shabana Mahmood said she accepted the recommendations from the first phase of the Southport Inquiry in full and promised the Government will do “whatever is needed to protect the public”. The probe found the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, “could and should have been prevented”, if public bodies had taken steps to stop Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 when he launched the attack on the dance class in July 2024. Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford said there was a “fundamental failure” by any organisation, or multi-agency arrangement, to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to his attack. The Home Secretary said: “The Southport Inquiry identified fundamental failings, across many of our public services, in the years leading up to July 2024. These devastating failures led to the senseless killing of three young girls and violent attacks on others. “My thoughts today are first and foremost with the families and friends of Bebe, Elsie and Alice and all the victims of that awful day. We owe it to them to right these wrongs. “For that reason, we have accepted Sir Adrian’s recommendations for central government in full. My department will now drive this work across government, with the urgency it deserves. “We will do whatever is needed to protect the public.” This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link . You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage .