Urgent probe after court records on Southport attack accessed without authorisation
The Ministry of Justice has launched an urgent investigation after court files relating to the July 2024 Southport attack were accessed without authorisation, the department confirmed. The breach has drawn fresh anger from the parents of a survivor who say confidential information was downloaded and that the incident will further damage their daughter's recovery.
The files reviewed included sensitive and personal data for a limited number of people connected to the attack, which left three children dead and others injured at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July 2024. The victims who lost their lives were named in earlier reporting as Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Eight other children, dance teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes were injured.
The MoJ said the unauthorised access was discovered during a review of its digital systems and is understood to have been carried out by court staff without approval. The department described the matter as a data breach and said it is investigating how the access occurred and what safeguards failed.
- Date of attack: 29 July 2024
- Fatalities named: Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7)
- Injured: Eight children, dance teacher Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes
“This culture of snooping across agencies and services must end and that will only happen if those individuals are held to account and not protected by the very confidentiality laws they flouted to access our daughter's information.”
The parents of one survivor, described in reporting as C1, said they were "devastated" and demanded full transparency from both the MoJ and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). NWAS was already the subject of an internal probe after it emerged staff were being investigated over possible inappropriate access to victims' records earlier this year.
Those parents said confidential information had been downloaded without their daughter's consent and warned that she now faced the risk of being confronted with photographs of her injuries or other deeply personal material. They added they expected the individuals responsible to lose their jobs and called for both agencies to be open about what happened to the files.
There are also wider questions about how sensitive victim information is shared and protected across public services. In May it emerged that dozens of workers at the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group had viewed records without a legitimate reason. That revelation, together with the NWAS probe and now the MoJ breach, has compounded the families' distress and raised concerns about systemic weaknesses in data handling.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incident | Southport attack at Taylor Swift-themed dance class |
| Date | 29 July 2024 |
| Named fatalities | Alice da Silva Aguiar (9); Bebe King (6); Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) |
| Injured | 8 children; dance teacher Leanne Lucas; businessman John Hayes |
| Agencies involved in probes | Ministry of Justice; North West Ambulance Service; University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (previous) |
Local residents who have followed the case say the breaches are a fresh violation of trust at a time when families are still rebuilding lives and managing recovery. Campaigners for victims' rights are likely to press for stronger sanctions and clearer auditing of who can access court and clinical records.
The MoJ has not disclosed how many files were viewed or the precise nature of the data downloaded, beyond saying the affected records were likely to pose a high risk to the rights and freedoms of those involved. It has pledged an internal investigation and notified the relevant authorities. NWAS has previously said it is co-operating with its own inquiry.
For families in Southport the practical consequences are immediate: renewed anxiety and the prospect of further trauma if private information is circulated or used. The parents of the survivor said two years on they should be focusing on recovery, not having to manage another failure by the state.
As the MoJ probe continues, residents and campaigners will want clarity on what safeguards will be strengthened to prevent further unauthorised access, how affected families will be supported and what disciplinary or legal steps will follow if staff are found to have breached confidentiality.
This remains an ongoing story. WE NEWS will report further as the MoJ and local agencies release more details.
