Southport stabbing survivor 'horrified' at victims' records being accessed by 48 hospital staff

A survivor of the Southport attack has said she is "absolutely devastated" after it emerged 48 hospital workers inappropriately accessed the medical records of victims.

Yoga instructor Leanne Lucas, who survived the attack on 29 July 2024, said the staff who accessed victims' records without a valid reason "abused their position of trust".

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, who was six, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class by Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17. Rudakubana was jailed for life for their murders last year.

Some of those injured were treated at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group.

An information access audit carried out by the trust in the days following the incident showed 48 staff accessed the records of the victims without good reason, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reports.

But the patients involved did not receive this information until this week.

Ms Lucas, who was the teacher at the workshop targeted by Rudakubana, waived her right to anonymity and said: "I am absolutely devastated and horrified that my privacy has been invaded when I was at my most vulnerable.

"Nothing will take away my gratitude to the staff who saved my life, but 48 people not involved in my care abused their position of trust to access the files of victims who have suffered unspeakable trauma.

"The decision to keep this from me for almost two years is a new low. I am speaking out as I want this scandal and the attempted cover up by senior management exposed for what it is."

Nicola Brook, a legal director at Broudie Jackson Canter, who represents three survivors, including Ms Lucas, at the Southport Inquiry, said: "This is a truly unbelievable breach of privacy for victims of one of the most horrific attacks this country has ever seen.

"This is more than a few bad apples; it was 48 different members of staff who, for no legitimate reason, chose to access vulnerable victims' records.

"That speaks to a culture and one that will only change if there are real consequences for those responsible.

"For the trust to then try to hide that it happened is appalling.

"The trust has many questions to answer and we will be ensuring our clients get those answers as soon as possible."

Read more:
What we've learned from the Southport Inquiry
Southport murders: The 14 minutes of terror that left three children dead

Trust chief executive James Sumner said after it had concluded its investigation, it had made the decision not to inform the patients involved after "taking into consideration the potential psychological impact it may have upon them at the time".

He said the trust had "notified the relevant regulators and professional bodies", including the Information Commissioner's Office, and "were fully transparent about any findings and actions taken".

Mr Sumner said: "We are sincerely sorry for any distress that may have been caused to the patients that were under our care and who trusted us to look after them when they were most vulnerable.

"Breaches of patient confidentiality are inexcusable and undermine the hard work of those teams who sought to provide the highest standard of care to these patients after they experienced such traumatic and life-changing events.

"Staff who were found to access patient records inappropriately were subject to HR disciplinary processes."

(c) Sky News 2026: Southport stabbing survivor 'horrified' at victims' records being accessed by 48 hospital staff