MoJ apologises after Southport victims' files accessed by court staff
Published: 16/09/2026
| The Register
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has apologised after court staff gained unauthorised access to legal records concerning victims and survivors of the 2024 Southport murders.
The MoJ said the accessed materials contained sensitive personal information likely to pose a high risk to the affected individuals' rights and freedoms. However, the government department confirmed there is no evidence the records were shared with third parties. Members of victims' and survivors' families are among those affected, and officials are notifying them directly, though they declined to disclose the exact number of individuals impacted.
The incident is undergoing an urgent investigation, with the Prime Minister instructing the Lord Chancellor to supervise the inquiry. While refusing to clarify how many staff members viewed the files, the MoJ said that any wrongdoing will be met with extremely firm action.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been notified.
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