Fletchers Solicitors responds as chair of Southport Inquiry publishes first phase report into attack

Following the publication of the the Southport Inquiry first phase report into the attack, Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, Serious Injury solicitor at Fletchers has responded to the findings saying: “The families we represent have shown courage, strength and honour in the darkest of days.  Their lives have been permanently altered by these heinous acts of violence.  The physical and emotional scars inflicted on them are a daily reminder of something that we now know could and should have been prevented. 

“They have bravely shared their stories with this inquiry, reliving the horror of that day, in the hope that things can be done, change can happen and that no other family will have to suffer as they have. 

“We ask that where recommendations have been made, those individuals and agencies to which they are addressed, take action now. Not tomorrow. This must not happen again.

“Today’s report is an important point in this inquiry.  We thank Sir Adrian Fulford and the inquiry team for their commitment to identifying a true chronology.  What is written makes for disturbing reading among the litany of issues including:

• The moral failure of AR’s parents to warn authorities about weapons, their obstructive behaviour and in some circumstances their dishonesty.
• Where state agencies were involved there was a ‘disturbing lack of clarity as to who, if anyone, was the lead agency managing the risk AR posed to others – with no institution or agency taking overall responsibility for assessing and addressing the clear high degree of risk of violent harm to others that AR had demonstrated from early October 2019. 
• Online retailers and the ease with which weapons can be purchased with little accountability

“It is clear there is a need for whole-scale system reform across health and social care, education and policing. As Sir Adrian Fulford has said, the findings of this inquiry are disturbing and frankly depressing.  These calls for organisational and individual accountability must be heard.  They must be acted upon.

“Now that we have reached the end of the inquiry’s first phase, the families of the survivors remain focused and committed to the recovery of their children.

“They want to create spaces where they can process and come to terms with what happened to them by talking about what they went through. They want to make sure their daughters’ voices and experiences are heard, so that they can feel safe to express their grief and heal from their trauma.

“We move forward to Phase 2 with the hope and expectation that these recommendations will be actioned and that change will follow.  That is the legacy our children deserve.”