Online spread of information in Southport case to be scrutinised in inquiry
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The online spread of content in apparent breach of England’s contempt of court rules will be investigated as part of a public inquiry into the Southport stabbings, Sir Keir Starmer has said. In a Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister defended the decision taken by authorities not to share information about the case earlier on, saying that to do so would have risked collapsing a potential jury trial.
Following the attack by 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana last July, who on Monday admitted murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, a slew of false claims circulated on social media about the circumstances surrounding the killings. Meanwhile, some of the Government’s political opponents have alleged a “cover-up” over Rudakubana’s contact with the authorities, and said more details could have been disclosed earlier on in order to prevent an information vacuum.
But speaking on Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister said that the “only losers” if the Government and authorities had shared more information would be the victims and their families, because it could have potentially jeopardised a trial and delayed justice.
“Yes, I knew the details as they were emerging. That is the usual practice in a case such as this,” he said. “But you know, and I know, that it would not have been right to disclose those details. The only losers, if the details have been disclosed, would be the victims and the families, because it ran the risk the trial would collapse. I’m never going to do that.”.
