By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
A leading lawyer with extensive experience of representing families after some of the UK’s biggest tragedies says a full statutory public inquiry into what happened in Southport last summer can help to find the answers that people need.
Broudie Jackson Canter Legal Director Nicola Brook, who specialises in major inquests and inquiries, says a statutory inquiry is vital after the horrific knife attack on 29th July last year which saw the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven; Bebe King, aged six, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine.
Several other girls and adults were badly injured and others left traumatised as they attended a Taylor Swift themed dance and yoga class at the Hart Space in Southport at the start of the school summer holidays.
The early arrest of the killer meant that little information was released in the run-up to his expected trial.
When the defendant subsequently changed his plea to guilty, some facts began to emerge at his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court.
For so many traumatised families in Southport, and for people across the country as a whole, it left so many big unanswered questions.
They included – how was this atrocity able to happen? Were any opportunities to stop the killer missed? And what can be done to stop a similar horror from happening again?
Nicola Brook has extensive knowledge, insight and experience of working with people in similar circumstances.
This includes her work on the Hillsborough Inquests, the Birmingham Pub Bombings, the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry and the Covid Inquiry.
Nicola works for the Jackson Lees Group, an established local law firm which has offices in Southport, Liverpool, Heswall and Hoylake.
She said: “What happened in Southport last summer was absolutely heartbreaking. All our thoughts are with the victims, survivors and the families involved and the grieving process they are all going through.
“They rightly want answers.
“People were horrified when they heard some of the facts emerge when the killer was sentenced for his crimes in court.
“There are so many unanswered questions about what happened in Southport, and how it could have been stopped.
“Many have called for a ‘public inquiry’ to be held without really knowing – what is a public inquiry and how can it help people? The first thing to say is there are good and bad inquiries, so it is important to get this right now.
“The most important issue is that it is a Statutory Inquiry, so that it has the power to order public bodies to co-operate and to require witnesses to come and give evidence .
“The second issue is that the victims, survivors and the bereaved all have the opportunity to be Core Participants in the inquiry if that is what they wish.
“That will enable them to take an active role in the proceedings, put questions to witnesses, make legal submissions and have an impact on the findings. None of that will happen if they are treated just as witnesses.
“Finally, there have to be real outcomes from this process so we would also want the Inquiry to monitor progress on any recommendations.
“Some of the organisations involved will be carrying out their own internal reviews into what went wrong, and how they can act in a more efficient way in the future.
“I really hope that by the time this Inquiry starts the Government will have enacted Hillsborough Law as that will require public bodies to be open and tell the truth about what happened.
“Any healthy organisation will welcome public scrutiny and the opportunity to improve. They must want to learn lessons from this tragedy themselves and be accountable to the public for any failures that may be revealed by the Inquiry.
“The people of Southport must be able to ask the questions they want answers to and deserve to know that action will be taken in response.”
The prospect of a public inquiry shouldn’t make anyone feel daunted.
Lawyers with experience of public inquiries have the skills and knowledge to know what to look for, what they can ask, and how best to challenge those in power and will be able to guide you through the process.
Nicola said: “With inquiries, some families can be intimidated or have concerns that legal support can potentially be too costly, but it shouldn’t cost them anything. We can apply for their costs to be paid in full.
“Some people can be cynical about what inquiries can actually do. But as we have seen in the Manchester Arena Inquiry, actions can be put in place that do make a real difference, and can change how organisations operate.
“Following the murders in Southport last summer Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain faces a new threat from ‘extreme violence carried out by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms’.
“Families in Southport have many questions. They need, and they deserve answers.
“I passionately believe that a full statutory inquiry will be an important step in that process. I am happy to talk to anyone who would like to understand more about the Inquiry process.”
● For more information please visit: https://www.jacksonlees.co.uk/broudiejacksoncanter Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrownn@gmail.com
