Ministry of Justice apologizes after court staff accessed Southport victims' files

Sensitive personal data was involved, but there is no evidence it was shared with third parties

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has apologized after court staff accessed documents relating to victims and survivors of the 2024 Southport murders without authorization.

For a limited number of people, the material accessed included sensitive personal data assessed as likely to pose a high risk to their rights and freedoms. There is no evidence that the information was shared with third parties.

"We are appalled that this happened and recognise the distress it will have caused victims, survivors, and their families," an MoJ spokesperson said.

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"We apologise to those affected – unauthorized access to court files is completely unacceptable.

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"This is now being investigated urgently, and the prime minister has asked the Lord Chancellor to oversee this.

"All wrongdoing will be met with extremely firm action."

The Register asked the MoJ how many staff accessed the files, whether they remained employed, and what their reasons may have been. It did not address those questions.

Those affected include members of victims' and survivors' families, all of whom are being contacted directly. The MoJ did not disclose how many people were involved.

HM Prison and Probation Service and HM Courts and Tribunals Service are investigating the matter. The Information Commissioner's Office has also been informed.

The MoJ breach is the latest in a series of incidents involving inappropriate access to sensitive records connected to the attack.

Separately, North West Ambulance Service investigated potentially inappropriate access by some of its staff to records of patients in the Southport attacks.

And nearly 50 staff were found to have inappropriately accessed the medical records of some victims treated at Aintree University Hospital, near the place of Axel Rudakubana's attacks.

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Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time and has since been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England, on July 29, 2024, killing three children and injuring eight other children and two adults.

False claims about the attack online prompted violent, racially charged riots across the UK. Police made 1,511 arrests in the weeks that followed and brought 960 charges.

Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years. ®