Inquiry finds Southport dance-class murders could have been prevented amid years of missed chances

The murders of three young girls at a Southport dance workshop could have been prevented if the killer’s parents and public authorities had acted sooner, an inquiry has found. Chair Sir Adrian Fulford said the number of missed opportunities to intervene was “striking,” concluding it was “highly likely” the attack would not have occurred had various agencies dealt with the teenager’s behaviour earlier.

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were killed during an indiscriminate knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024. The attacker, who was 17 at the time, seriously wounded eight other children and two adults.

He has since been sentenced to at least 52 years in prison. Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged “fundamental changes” after the report set out that “systematic failures” led to the attack. The first phase of the inquiry, published earlier, included heavy criticism of the killer’s parents and the authorities that had contact with him in the years leading up to the murders.

Whether the teenager’s parents could be held criminally responsible for failing to report his alarming behaviour remains unresolved. In June 2025, Merseyside Police said the evidence against his father, Alphonse Rudakubana, and mother, Laetitia Muzayire, did not meet the threshold for a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service.

In November, following their evidence to the Southport Inquiry, the force said it was reviewing that decision. After the first-phase report’s publication, a spokesperson said the review is ongoing and no decisions have been taken so far. Sir Adrian also highlighted how a teenage boy was able to amass a “small arsenal of weapons” by shopping online.

He noted that Amazon—where the killer bought items including the knife used in the attack and archery equipment—took “no active steps” to enforce its own policy that under-18s may only use the service with a parent or guardian’s involvement. The teen set up an account in April 2019 using the fake name Daniel Rysen and used a combination of his parents’ bank cards and later his own to make purchases.

During the inquiry, John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK and Ireland country manager, accepted there was no way for the company to tell how many children are the main users of accounts. The chair said it was “concerning” that someone with the killer’s “violence fixated mindset” could browse and buy weapons without any age restriction.

At the time, Amazon said it had launched an urgent investigation in relation to the case. Southport MP Patrick Hurley said it was “vital that we confront these failings openly and honestly,” adding that the report’s recommendations must be treated with the “utmost seriousness” to ensure individuals who pose a risk do not fall through gaps in the system.

The inquiry’s findings now place pressure on agencies and ministers to respond. Merseyside Police’s review of potential criminal liability for the parents remains ongoing, and the government has promised reforms in light of the report’s conclusions.