Families demand answers as Southport inquiry opens

52 minutes ago Share Save Jonny Humphries BBC News, Liverpool Share Save

Family handouts Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Aguiar and were murdered in the attack on 29 July 2024

The families of three murdered schoolgirls have demanded "real change" before the start of the public inquiry into the Southport stabbing attacks later. Alice Aguiar, nine; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and six-year-old Bebe King were killed on 29 July 2024 when Axel Rudakubana, then 17, walked into a dance workshop on Hart Street and began attacking children at random. The Southport Inquiry will hold its first live hearings at Liverpool Town Hall this week. Retired senior judge Sir Adrian Fulford will lead the inquiry and said the focus would first be on the circumstances leading to the attack, before looking at how young people are "drawn into extreme violence".

Nothing the inquiry could do would ever "change the unimaginable loss" of the families of the three murdered girls, Rachael Wong, director of law firm Bond Turner, and the families' solicitor, Chris Walker, said in a joint statement. They added: "We all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again... "It is only through intense public scrutiny that real change can be effected."

PA Media Sir Adrian Fulford promised the inquiry would proceed "at pace and with rigour"

The hearing will begin at 14:00 BST with an opening statement from Sir Adrian, before some of the families of those injured begin giving evidence on Wednesday morning. Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years at Liverpool Crown Court in January this year. He had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of Alice, Elsie and Bebe - plus 10 counts of attempted murder involving eight children and two adults - on what was supposed to be the first day of his trial. Rudakubana, now 18, also admitted producing the biological toxin ricin in his bedroom and possession of terrorist material relating to an article containing an al-Qaeda training manual.

Elizabeth Cook/PA Media Axel Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent counter extremism service three times

Reports emerged alleging that Rudakubana had attacked a prison officer with boiling water at HMP Belmarsh in May. Sir Adrian called the attack "one of the most horrific crimes in our country's history" and promised to conduct the inquiry "at pace and with rigour". The first part of the inquiry will look at issues including Rudakubana's contact with the government's counter-extremism service Prevent, which he was referred to three times, as well as other agencies. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the inquiry in April and said it would work for the families "to quickly understand what went wrong, answer difficult questions and do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again".

Emergency alert to be sent to smartphones in UK test

8 hours ago Share Save Aleks Phillips BBC News Share Save

Watch UK alert go off from a government test in 2023

The national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones in the UK will be tested again this September, the government has said. It will see compatible phones vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds while displaying a message at 15:00 BST on 7 September, even if they are set to silent. The alerts are intended for situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack. Though the system has been deployed regionally five times in the past few years, a previous nationwide test in 2023 revealed technical issues - with some people receiving the alert earlier than expected and some not receiving it at all.

Many on the Three network did not get anything, along with users on other networks - while some received multiple alerts. The government later said the message did not reach around 7% of compatible devices. The Cabinet Office said at the time that the problems uncovered would be reviewed and addressed ahead of another test. It said September's test was intended to ensure the system worked well and to make sure people were familiar with the alerts, in line with other countries that also use them, like the US and Japan. Of the approximately 87 million mobile phones in the UK, the alert will only appear on smartphones on 4G or 5G networks. Older phones, and phones connected to 2G or 3G networks, will not receive the message. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said: "Just like the fire alarm in your house, it's important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it."

PA Media A previous national test took place in April 2023

AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri says Luka Modric will join the Italian side after Real Madrid's Club World Cup campaign.

The Croatia captain, 39, announced in May he will end a 13-year career with the Spanish giants after the tournament in the United States.

And news of his new club was confirmed by Allegri, who has returned for a second stint as Milan boss after replacing Sergio Conceicao.

The 57-year-old said in his first press conference: "Modric will arrive in August. He is an extraordinary player."

Modric has made five substitute appearances for Real at the Club World Cup, including the 3-2 win against Borussia Dortmund which set up Wednesday's semi-final against Paris St-Germain.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has won 28 trophies, including six Champions Leagues and four La liga titles, with Real since a move from Tottenham in 2012.

Modric is keen on playing at the 2026 World Cup and wants to play at the highest level again next season in order to boost his chances.

Post Office report set to lay bare human impact of scandal

8 hours ago Share Save Emma Simpson and Mitchell Labiak Business correspondent & Business reporter, BBC News Share Save

Getty Images The Justice For Sub-postmasters Alliance attended the inquiry

Tuesday will mark a major milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal following a far-reaching inquiry. Part of a final report will be published focusing on compensation and the human impact of what is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history. Thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the Post Office's faulty Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu. More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison.

Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the long-running inquiry, has put victims at the heart of the work, which has pored over several decades worth of technical evidence and grilled many of those who had a role in ruining so many lives. Dozens of sub-postmasters have given evidence, many who had lost their businesses, their homes and some who were jailed. Sir Wyn's findings on their treatment will surely be damning given everything he has heard since the inquiry began in 2022. The inquiry became almost box office viewing - racking up more than 20 million views on YouTube, with people with no connection to the Post Office following it closely. However, it is going to be months before we find out who Sir Wyn will point the finger of blame at. That will come in the next part of the report, meaning that accountability is still a long way off.

'Patchwork quilt'

Sir Wyn has taken a big interest in compensation for the victims, admitting at one point that he'd stretched his terms of reference on the issue, "perhaps beyond breaking point". He held four separate hearings on redress and issued an interim report in 2023, likening the various schemes to a "patchwork quilt with a few holes in it". Victims and their legal representatives still battling to secure final payouts will be looking to see what his conclusions are on compensation and whether it is living up to the mantra of being full and fair. They hope his recommendations will result in more action. Sir Wyn knows how pressing compensation is to many of the victims and that's why he wants to publish his recommendations on the issue as soon as possible. "It's something I am very keen to say as much about as I reasonably can," he told the inquiry last year. But the implication from this is that part two - establishing what happened and who is to blame - isn't coming out any time soon. This second report may not be published until 2026 given the sheer volume and complexity of the evidence as well as the need to give those who are criticised the chance to respond. As for justice, any criminal trials may not start until 2028. Police investigating the scandal confirmed last month that files won't be handed to prosecutors until after the final inquiry report is published. After years of waiting, even after part one of Sir Wyn's report is published, the sub-postmasters' long road to justice will continue.

Oasis fans miss gig after fake ticket sales

1 hour ago Share Save Joe Langstaffe & Antonia Matthews BBC News Share Save

Reuters One fan said the biggest disappointment was missing out on seeing Oasis perform

Dozens of Oasis fans who believed they had bought a private box for Saturday's concert in Cardiff say they have paid hundreds of pounds for tickets they never received. Multiple victims told BBC Wales they were left "gutted" and "angry" after paying Pembrokeshire-based business owner David Gray for tickets which seemingly never existed. They allege Mr Gray may have left as many as 100 people without tickets. BBC Wales has made multiple attempts to contact Mr Gray, but he has been unavailable for comment.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was investigating reports of a ticket scam, but did not make direct reference to Mr Gray. Neil Stephens from Crumlin, Caerphilly, paid £500 for tickets for himself and his wife, who he said was "inconsolable". "My wife, Hannah, is literally the world's biggest Oasis fan," he said. "I had a call from my friend who said he knew somebody with a box and asked if we would be interested. "He said it was a gentleman called David Gray. He's a client of the Principality Stadium and has held many corporate events there. "I've got friends who'd been to the Foo Fighters and the rugby, all as a guest of Mr David Gray.

Mark Bonnici paid £1,200 for four tickets to a man he had known for years

"There were no alarm bells. There was no reason to disbelieve it, there really wasn't." Mr Stephens said after Mr Gray confirmed their tickets last summer, it was only about a week before the concert that concerns began to emerge.

The day before the gig, Mr Stephens and his friend decided to drive to The Speculation Inn near Pembroke, a pub owned and run by Mr Gray's family, to confront him. "I introduced myself and he told me the issue was with his mobile phone, which he said was the phone which contained all of the tickets," said Mr Stephens. "He actually took a call during our time in the pub from a guy flying in from Gibraltar for the gig. "He said that he would meet us outside gate three at 4:30pm and he would sort it out."

Neil Stephens says he found out his tickets were not genuine on his way to the gig in Cardiff

'It just makes me feel sick'

Mark Bonnici from Machen, Caerphilly, also said he had no reason not to trust Mr Gray, whom he said he had known for years. He paid £1,200 for four tickets and said the experience had left him feeling "sick". Mr Gray had previously offered him hospitality tickets for the rugby, which he went to without issues. When he asked him if he was interested in Oasis tickets, Mr Bonnici said yes and transferred the money. "He said his phone was playing up and he couldn't transfer the tickets," Mr Bonnici said. Like Mr Stephens, he was told to meet Mr Gray outside gate three of the stadium. "There was no sign of him and his phone has been switched off ever since," he said. Mr Stephens decided to call the hospitality account manager for the Principality Stadium on the Saturday morning, while on his way into Cardiff to try to find out whether his tickets were genuine. "He broke the rather unfortunate news that the booking didn't exist in his name," he said. The WRU has been asked whether or not Mr Gray has ever held a box at the Principality Stadium. "I was annoyed, my wife was inconsolable. She was so looking forward to this," said Mr Stephens. "As the day unfolded, it became very clear through a series of Facebook posts that not only did he sell 33 seats for the one box, he sold it over and over and over. "The last count as of this (Monday) morning was 87 tickets. A lot of very angry people". Mr Bonnici also said it only became clear many others had been affected after his daughter posted on social media and contacted hospitality at the Principality Stadium. Large groups of other people had been waiting for their tickets in the same location, he said. "I'm probably more disappointed than anything," he said. "This is someone I know, I've known for years."