A survivor of the Southport attack has expressed her devastation after it was revealed that hospital workers inappropriately accessed the medical records of victims. Leanne Lucas, who was the instructor at the Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop targeted by Axel Rudakubana in July 2024, said staff members had 'abused their position of trust'.
Details of the Breach
Three girls – Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – were murdered by Rudakubana at The Hart Space, while 10 others were injured. Some of the injured were treated at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group. An information access audit conducted by the trust in the days following the incident revealed that 48 staff members accessed the records of victims without legitimate reason, as reported by the HSJ. This information was only disclosed to the patients involved this week.
Leanne Lucas's Response
Ms Lucas, who now campaigns against knife crime and has waived her right to anonymity, stated: '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.'
Legal and Trust Responses
Nicola Brook, a legal director at law firm Broudie Jackson Canter, which represents three survivors including Ms Lucas at the Southport Inquiry, commented: '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 when 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.'
According to the HSJ, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group reported the incident to the Information Commissioner's Office in August 2024. Trust chief executive James Sumner said that after the investigation concluded, the decision was made not to inform the patients involved, 'taking into consideration the potential psychological impact it may have upon them at the time'. He added that the trust had 'notified the relevant regulators and professional bodies' 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.'
Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders of the three girls and attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as Ms Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
