Government secrecy fuelled Southport attack conspiracy theories, say Tories

The Conservatives have accused the Government of being responsible for “secrecy” that gave rise to the riots in the aftermath of the Southport terror attack last year.

Shadow solicitor general Helen Grant said the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, had reported the lack of information by the Government, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police had been a “catalyst for media disinformation and public distrust”.

In July last year, Axel Rudakubana, then 17, murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; during the attack in the Merseyside town.

Rudakubana has been jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders, along with the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes at the Taylor Swift themed dance class.

Ms Grant said: “The independent review of the Southport attacks condemns (the) CPS and police near-silence following the attacks. It establishes silence as a catalyst for media disinformation and public distrust.

“It states, and I quote, ‘silence in the face of horrific events of major public interest is no longer an option’. So, does the solicitor general accept that the Government secrecy fuelled conspiracy theories and this eroded confidence in our justice system? Or is the independent King’s Counsel reviewer simply wrong?”

Solicitor general Lucy Rigby said: “You won’t be surprised to hear that I completely reject the allegation of Government secrecy and, certainly when it comes to Southport, those murders were some of the most harrowing in our country’s history, and it was absolutely right that due process was followed to allow for the successful conviction.

“It was vitally important that justice was done in those cases.

“And the shadow solicitor general will know there are issues around contempt. Contempt is being looked at by the Law Commission. The Law Commission has agreed to a request from the Home Secretary to speed up that review, and it’s vitally important that we get the results of that review as soon as possible.”

Following up, Ms Grant said: “The independent review warned that Government silence risked far more prejudice to any trial than transparency. Indeed the truth as is often said, can be the very best disinfectant.

Ms Rigby said: “(She) refers to Jonathan Hall, and that indeed is the terrorism review. Terrorism is, of course, something the Government takes extremely seriously.

“Jonathan Hall’s review has concluded now and it’s absolutely right that his report is considered in full by the Home Secretary. It’s clearly an important step in addressing all of these questions, and that is coupled with the review on contempt.”

Meanwhile, Ms Rigby said the Justice Secretary had a “constructive discussion” with the Sentencing Council last week about the new guidance issued to judges, which advised them to consider a criminal’s ethnicity before deciding their punishment.

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) had said the guidance would bring in “two-tier” justice.

Ms Rigby said: “Equality before the law is clearly core to the application to the rule of law in this country, and a foundational principle of our legal and judicial systems.”