Anisa Kebbati instructed in Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry

Anisa Kebbati has been instructed by the Government Legal Department to act on behalf of core participant, the Youth Justice Board, in Phase 2 of the Southport Inquiry. 

On the 29^th July 2024, Axel Rudakubana carried out a knife attack at a children’s dance club in Southport. He murdered 3 young girls and injured 10 other people. Sixteen others survived the attack but live with the serious emotional scars.

The Southport Inquiry is a statutory Public Inquiry and has been set up to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack, the events leading up to the attack, the attack itself, and to identify steps to minimise the risk of a future tragedy.

The Inquiry began formally on 7 April 2025 and Phase 1 examined the specific circumstances of Axel Rudakubana and the attack. The Inquiry published its Phase 1 report on 13 April 2026.

Phase 2 will examine a number of areas which include the arrangements for identifying, monitoring and managing the risk from violence-fixated individuals (VFIs), the effectiveness of multi-agency arrangements and the effectiveness of policies, regulation and criminal enforcement in relation to the sale and possession of offensive weapons and articles with a point or blade. The terms of reference for Phase 2 can be found here.

Phase 2 formally opened on 8^th July 2026, but the main hearings started in September 2026.

A final report is expected by May 2027 to set out findings of fact and make any necessary recommendations to the Home Secretary.  Read more about the Southport Inquiry here.