A public inquiry will take place into the Southport stabbings, the Home Secretary has announced.
The inquiry will look at how Axel Rudakubana, who was referred to Prevent three times, was able to go on and murder three girls at a Taylor Swift themed dance class.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has been clear that important information about the perpetrator’s past could not be made public before today to avoid jeopardising the legal proceedings or prejudicing the possible jury trial, in line with the normal rules of the British justice systems. Nothing has been more important than securing justice for the families.
“But now that there has been a guilty plea, it is essential that the families and the people of Southport can get answers about how this terrible attack could take place and about why this happened to their children.
“The responsibility for these terrible murders and the barbaric attack lies with Axel Rudakubana. The CPS has described him as “a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence” who has “shown no sign of remorse.
“We need to face up to why this has been happening and what needs to change.
“The Home Office commissioned an urgent Prevent Learning Review during the summer into the three referrals that took place and why they were closed. We will publish further details this week, alongside new reforms to the Prevent programme. But we also need more independent answers on both Prevent and all the other agencies that came into contact with this extremely violent teenager as well as answers on how he came to be so dangerous, including through a public inquiry that can get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change. “
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