Southport murder suspect named as Axel Rudakubana – latest

Sir Keir Starmer has said he would like to see greater use of criminal behaviour orders, such as those used in football hooliganism cases, to crack down on organised riots.

He said: “In relation to preventative measures – one of the issues that came out this afternoon was criminal behaviour orders which can be attached to convictions for these sorts of offences, which then give the police and the authorities the ability to put their arms around and have a tighter grip on those that have already shown their true colours, have been convicted.

“And I would personally like to see more use of those orders in the same way that they’re used in football hooligan cases to stop people travelling, identify and prevent their patterns of behaviour, because these are not people going to protest.”

Sir Keir Starmer has warned that speculating about the attack could risk prejudicing the active criminal proceedings against the suspect and impeding justice for the bereaved families.

The PM also cautioned social media companies after misinformation spread online about the identity of the 17-year-old suspect, including false claims that he was an asylum-seeker.

“Let me also say to large social media companies and those who run them: violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime, it’s happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere,” he said.

An 11-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a police vehicle was set alight during a violent protest in Hartlepool following the Southport stabbing.

Cleveland Police said 11 other people were also arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the disorder during which officers were attacked with missiles, glass bottles and eggs in the County Durham town.

The arrests included seven men, one juvenile and one woman, aged between 14 and 54, on suspicion of offences including violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker, according to the force.

During the violence, which involved about 150 people meeting at the Cenotaph and descending on Murray Street and the surrounding area, four police officers suffered minor injuries.

Before the protest, officers identified the suspected organiser and arrested a 51-year-old man from Hartlepool on suspicion of distributing written materials to stir up racial hatred. He has been released on conditional bail.

A woman aged 28 was arrested on Wednesday before the demonstration.

She was detained on suspicion of unlawfully obtaining or disclosing protected information and distributing written materials to stir up racial hatred relating to personal information placed on social media, and has been released on conditional bail.

Police are searching for protesters who threw objects and shouted racist abuse at a demonstration outside a hotel housing migrants in Aldershot, which left one officer injured.

Hampshire police said that a minority of the 200 people who gathered outside the Potters International Hotel became involved in the disruption on Wednesday evening.

Appealing for witnesses, a spokesman said: “Investigations are under way today to take action against those who sparked disruption in Aldershot last night (31 July).

“A protest took place outside the Potters International Hotel and as with previous protests at this site, the majority of attendees gathered in a peaceful manner.

“Unfortunately, at around 6.45pm, a minority of the 200 people present got involved in criminal activity, throwing objects and subjecting people to racial abuse.

“Our officers were swiftly on scene and were able to disperse the group quickly.”

Local people in Southport have left floral tributes to the three girls who died, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice Dasilva Aguiar:

An order giving police greater stop-and-search powers has been renewed in Southport.

The section 60 order was introduced at 6pm on Thursday and will last until 6pm on Friday, in which time Merseyside Police said extra officers would be on duty in the area to reassure the community.

Community Inspector Doug Chadwick said: “Section 60 orders are an effective tool in our efforts to protect the public from the violence and destruction the town saw on Tuesday, allowing us to stop and search people suspected of carrying weapons or planning any criminality.

“People living in Southport will now be used to seeing a highly visible police presence on their streets. I hope that presence is reassuring, and I would ask anyone with concerns to speak to our officers.

“The support of the community in Southport continues to be a huge source of comfort and strength for everyone – our officers included.

“We will continue to do keep people safe and ask that anyone with information about criminality and disorder help us in that effort by getting in touch.”

A previous order was put in place at 5pm on Wednesday for 24 hours.

After some posts on social media wrongly claimed the teenager suspected of the killings was a Muslim who had arrived on a small boat, Andrew Menary KC at Liverpool Crown Court gave the media the go-ahead to report his identity, reports Amy-Clare Martin: