Southport and Amess murders 'linked by failings'

Katie Amess said her father's killer was "released into the system" by Prevent

The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has said multiple state failures linked his death to the Southport murders, with the killers having "the same kind of profile".

Sir David, 69, died after being stabbed 21 times by Ali Harbi Ali at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea on 15 October 2021.

At his sentencing, the Old Bailey was told Ali had been known to authorities and was referred to the government's Prevent programme, but continued plotting in secret.

"Nothing has been learned, it's all verbiage and no-one has been held accountable, not one person," said Katie Amess.

The Prevent programme is a key part of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, and places public bodies, including schools and the police, under a legal duty to identify people who may turn to extremism, and intervene in their lives before it is too late.

Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that warnings were sounded over Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, including three referrals to Prevent, before he killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine at a dance class in July.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silver Aguiar and Bebe King

Rudakubana was jailed for 52 years after pleading guilty to three counts of murder.

"My heart is absolutely broken for the poor, poor families of the [Southport] victims and and all the little girls that have injuries that are going to be life changing for them," Ms Amess said.

"The similarities [between the cases] are uncanny and I just wish to God no-one had to know the pain that my family went through."

Ms Amess wants the government to release more information on who knew what and when about Ali Harbi Ali, who is serving a whole-life sentence for murder and preparing acts of terrorism.

She has a separate complaint about the protection offered to Sir David by Essex Police, which has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Sir David was stabbed to death during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in October 2021

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme, Ms Amess said she would not accept that Prevent's failure to keep track of referrals was the result of a swamped scheme or "admin issues".

"He [Ali] was never followed up again, he was released back into the system," she said.

"I don't think that's because they're overwhelmed, I think it's because they're incompetent.

Sir David's daughter called for "accountability for all of the people the Prevent system has failed"

She told the BBC: "It's happening time and time again, we've got the London bridge attacks, the Streatham attacks, the friends who were attacked in a [Reading] park, the detonation of a device on the Tube, these are not one-off attacks.

"So far, the institutions have just managed to skirt around their failings.

"Keir Starmer said himself that he is not going to allow for institutions to deflect their responsibilities for their failures in these horrific murders.

"That's exactly what I have been saying has been happening, so we will hold him accountable and make sure he follows through on that promise."

She said she hoped the Southport families would one day be able to separate the girls' lives from their deaths - as she tried to do with her father.

"I won't let my dad's life and legacy be defined by that one act of evil.

"Getting answers and getting accountability for all of the people the Prevent system has failed will go a long way in helping them [Southport families] heal and help them disassociate those darling girls lives' with what happened to them at the end."