Southport attack victims, survivors and families hit by Ministry of Justice data breach

Southport attack victims, survivors and families hit by Ministry of Justice data breach The Ministry of Justice has been slammed by the parents of a Southport survivor after court files were were accessed without authorisation as part of a data breach Parents of a Southport attack survivor said they were "devastated" following a data breach which saw "confidential information downloaded". Court files about the victims, survivors and families of the Southport stabbing attack were accessed without authorisation, the Ministry of Justice said. It is understood the data breach was discovered during a review of the department's digital systems. Earlier this year it emerged the North West Ambulance Service was looking into whether staff inappropriately accessed the records of Southport victims. The parents of a Southport survivor, referred to as C1, slammed the MoJ and said: "In recent weeks our family has once again been devastated by two data breaches that involve our daughter; NWAS and now the MoJ. "This culture of snooping across agencies and services must end and that will only happen if those individuals are held to account and not protected by the very confidentiality laws they flouted to access our daughter's information." The parents said they "expect each of these despicable individuals to lose their jobs" while calling for "full transparency" from both the MoJ and the NWAS. In May it also emerged that dozens of workers at the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, where some of the wounded were treated, had looked at records with no good reason. The parents of the survivor today said: "Two years on our focus should be on our daughter's continuing recovery, not having to manage further failures by the state that have put our daughter at risk once again. Like all the other survivors, our daughter will spend the rest of her life navigating the trauma of what happened to her." They also claimed that confidential information "has been downloaded without her consent", adding: "Now she is at risk of being confronted by photographs of her injuries or deeply personal information. As her parents, our worst fear is that this could be used to profit or gain in future and could derail her ongoing recovery. "We are exhausted by apologies. We are exhausted by offers to meet with government ministers and CEOs; all of which amount to nothing. It is not acceptable anymore to continue to heap more risk and stress on to our family and the other families affected.” The MoJ did not reveal how many people were impacted by this data breach and said there was no evidence personal data was shared with third parties. Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, Partner at Fletchers Solicitors, which represents 22 of the 23 surviving children, said: "Week after week we are learning of a new data breach against victims who have endured the worst atrocities this country has ever seen. "It is disgraceful that these public bodies have known of these breaches for months and only choose to disclose them as the media pressure mounts and their internal investigations are all but over. These families have suffered enough trauma, they need transparency and accountability now. "For our clients affected by the Nottingham and Southport attack, and for all others whose data has been breached inappropriately, we want to see the government launch a full independent investigation to address this grim voyeuristic culture, and ensure private details of victims are properly protected in the future." The incident has been referred to data watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office and a spokesperson for the MoJ said the government department was "appalled". The spokesperson said: "We are appalled that this happened and recognise the distress it will have caused victims, survivors, and their families. We apologise to those affected – unauthorised access to court files is completely unacceptable. This is now being investigated urgently, and the Prime Minister has asked the Lord Chancellor to oversee this. All wrongdoing will be met with extremely firm action." The Prisons and Probation Service and the Courts and Tribunals Service has launched a probe into the data breach, and anyone impacted will be notified directly. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has asked the Lord Chancellor to oversee the matter. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 2024. Eight other children, dance teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes were injured in the attack.