Punishment more important than extremism definition – Southport families’ lawyer

The right punishment is more important than the definition of extremism, a lawyer for the families of the three girls killed in the Southport stabbings has said, with the Home Secretary set to reject advice to widen the scope of the word.

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were murdered at a Taylor Swift dance event at a centre in the Merseyside town last summer by Axel Rudakubana, who was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the 18-year-old represented a new kind of threat, distinct from politically or ideologically motivated terrorism, with “acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom, accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety”.

He said that, if needed, the Government would change the law to recognise the “new and dangerous threat” and “review our entire counter-extremist system to make sure we have what we need to defeat it”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to reject Government advice to widen the definition of extremism to cover environmentalists, the far left, and men prejudiced against women.

Asked for her reaction, Sara Stanger, a solicitor for the Southport stabbing victims’ families, told BBC Breakfast: “I think as long as the punishment fits, it doesn’t really matter what the terminology is.”

She said online safety will be a “key part” of the public inquiry into the stabbings.

“I think every parent has been worried by this process,” she told the programme.

“They’ve seen that within a few clicks, this defendant was able to access horrifying materials.

“Most of our children have an incredibly powerful computer in their pocket with their phone.

“I think we need the help of internet providers and social media providers to help parents with the toolkit to protect our children.”

Ms Stanger said the girls’ parents are “grateful” that a public inquiry was announced “so swiftly” and that they want to find out whether missed opportunities would have changed the outcome.

Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent anti-terror programme three times but those referrals were closed due to his apparent lack of a clear ideology.

He received care from Alder Hey Children’s NHS mental health service for four years prior to his knife attack before he stopped engaging in February 2023.

Ms Stanger told BBC Breakfast: “It’s clear that he fell through gaps in between different agencies. I think that plugging those gaps is going to be vital.”

On the families of Rudakubana’s victims, she said they are “relieved” that the criminal court hearings are over but were “shocked” by some of what came to light during the teenager’s sentencing.

“A lot of the information that came out was new information,” the solicitor said.

“The fact that there were 15 missed opportunities with this defendant was shocking.”