The Ministry of Justice has apologised after court staff accessed files relating to victims and survivors of the 2024 Southport murders without authorisation. For some individuals, the accessed material included sensitive personal data assessed as likely to pose a high risk to their rights and freedoms, though there is no evidence it was shared with third parties. The prime minister has asked the Lord Chancellor to oversee an urgent investigation, and all those affected are being contacted directly.

The MoJ did not disclose how many staff or victims were involved, nor whether the staff responsible remain employed, and did not explain their reasons for accessing the files. HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Information Commissioner's Office are all involved in the response. This follows similar breaches: North West Ambulance Service investigated inappropriate access to patient records, and nearly 50 staff at Aintree University Hospital were found to have improperly accessed victims' medical records. The attack, carried out by then-17-year-old Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024, killed three children and injured ten others, and sparked violent riots fuelled by false online claims; Rudakubana was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years.