David Temkin KC, Sara Sutherland and David Illingworth continue to represent families at Southport Inquiry Phase 2

July 8, 2026

David Temkin KC, Sara Sutherland and David Illingworth from Exchange Chambers, instructed by Nicola Ryan-Donnelly of Fletchers Solicitors, continue to represent 19 families at Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry, which opened today in London. Their clients are the families of 22 girls who were physically and/or psychologically injured by the atrocious knife attack during a dance class in Southport on 29 July 2024.

On 13 April 2026, the Southport Inquiry published its Phase 1 report into the circumstances of that attack.

After Phase 1, Inquiry Chairman Sir Adrian Fulford found “catastrophic” failures by various agencies and said that the attacks could have been prevented.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 52 years, for multiple offences including murder and attempted murder.

In his 763-page report, setting out 67 recommendations, Sir Adrian said that there had been a “fundamental failure” by any organisation, or multi-agency arrangement, to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed.

Last week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood gave the Government’s formal response to the Inquiry, accepting all 67 of the report’s recommendations and promising to do “whatever is needed to protect the public”.

Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry will examine the wider systems and safeguards designed to identify, assess and manage individuals who present a risk of serious violence, with the aim of establishing the changes required to prevent future tragedies.

It will now focus on broader issues concerning the management of so-called violence-fixated individuals (VFIs) – those considered to be at risk of committing acts of extreme violence where ideology is not the primary motivating factor.

Among the issues to be examined are the effectiveness of existing multi-agency arrangements for identifying, assessing and managing such individuals including the roles of policing, Prevent, youth offending teams and other public bodies. The Inquiry will also consider how these arrangements interact with safeguarding systems, mental health services, education and social care, and whether stronger integration could improve the identification and management of those who pose a risk.

Phase 2 will also explore which interventions are most effective in reducing the risk posed by violence-fixated individuals, whether current threat management models used in areas such as counter-terrorism and organised crime offer transferable lessons and what barriers exist to effective intervention.

In addition, the Inquiry will consider the influence of the internet and social media in enabling or encouraging acts of extreme violence, together with the effectiveness of the current legal and regulatory framework for identifying, monitoring and disrupting harmful online activity. It will also examine whether existing policies, regulation and criminal law relating to the sale and possession of offensive weapons, including bladed articles, provide adequate protection to the public.

The Inquiry will hear evidence from a wide range of organisations and experts and may commission further research and specialist evidence to inform its recommendations. It is due to report to the Home Secretary by May 2027.