What will the Southport Inquiry tell us and what are next steps?

Shortly before midday on 29 July 2024, Axel Rudakubana launched an indiscriminate knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were killed and 10 others were seriously injured during the attack at the holiday club in Merseyside town of Southport.

The Southport Inquiry was set up to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to that fateful day.

Ahead of the publication of the first report, we take a look at what has happened so far and the next steps.

The Southport Inquiry, commissioned by then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, was set up to examine the overall timeline of the killer's history and interactions with various public bodies.

The inquiry began formally on 7 April 2025 when the Home Secretary issued the terms of reference.

Speaking at the time, she said: "The brutal murder of three young girls Bebe, Elsie and Alice in Southport was an unimaginable tragedy.

"We owe it to their families, and all those affected on that terrible day to quickly understand what went wrong, answer difficult questions and do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again.

"The Southport Inquiry will provide insights into any failings that allowed a young man with a previous history of violence, to commit this horrendous attack."

The hearings began on 8 July for two days before reconvening on 8 September for nine weeks of evidence.

The first phase of that inquiry finished in November following nine weeks of emotional evidence.

One of the first tasks of the inquiry, chaired by retired High Court judge Sir Adrian Fulford, was to establish a definitive account of what happened in the Hart Space dance studios on 29 July 2024.

While many of the facts had been aired in court, we heard far more detailed accounts from witnesses, surviving victims and their families and the bereaved parents.

Some of the most shocking evidence heard in the inquiry was from Rudakubana's parents Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire.

Mr Rudakubana said his son's behaviour had deteriorated rapidly when he was expelled from mainstream education in October 2019, for admitting carrying knives at his school, Range High School in Formby, Merseyside.

While he claimed he had reached out to various agencies for help, Mr Rudakubana told the inquiry he had withheld certain information about how bad things really were in the home because he "didn't want my son to be taken away".

He also failed to tell any agencies including mental health teams, police or social services that his son had been buying weapons, including a machete, online.

You can read more on what emerged over nine weeks of often harrowing evidence inside Liverpool Town Hall here.

The inquiry will publish the Phase 1 report at 12:00 BST.

The findings of Phase 1 will shape the focus of Phase 2 of the inquiry, which is expected to start later this year.

It is expected to consider the adequacy of multi-agency systems to address the risk posed by young people whose fixation with and desire to commit acts of extreme violence presents a significant risk to public safety.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.