A statutory public inquiry has begun in Liverpool to examine how 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana was able to murder three young girls and wound 10 other people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July 2024. Opening proceedings at Liverpool Town Hall on 8 July, chair Sir Adrian Fulford called the stabbings “one of the most egregious crimes in our country’s history” and held a minute’s silence for the victims—Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Fulford said there had been a “wholesale and general failure” by multiple agencies to act on clear warning signs. Rudakubana, now serving a minimum 52-year sentence, had previously been arrested with knives, amassed weapons and extremist manuals at home, and been referred to the government’s Prevent counter-radicalisation programme three times. The first phase of the inquiry will trace his interactions with police, social services, mental-health teams and the courts; a second phase next year will consider how to curb the broader trend of children being drawn into extreme violence. Testimony from relatives underscored the lasting toll. The father of a nine-year-old identified as C3 told the hearing his daughter is “our hero” after escaping despite being stabbed three times in the back. A mother described how her seven-year-old, C1, was stabbed 33 times, dragged back into the hall and remains traumatised, suffering flashbacks and severe separation anxiety. Families asked the inquiry to deliver accountability and reforms that ensure “no repetition”. Fulford signalled the panel could recommend tougher preventive powers, including curfews, electronic tags and internet restrictions for individuals deemed at high risk of serious violence. Hearings resume in September, with findings and recommendations expected after the second phase concludes next year.