Southport victim's dad accuses ambulance staff of breaching trust

The father of a teenage Southport attack survivor has accused North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) of a complete breach of trust, alleging ambulance staff may have accessed his daughter's medical records out of morbid curiosity rather than clinical need. NWAS is formally investigating whether under 10 staff inappropriately viewed victims' records.

The allegations intensify scrutiny of how NHS organisations handle patient privacy after traumatic attacks. Families say they learned of the possible ambulance breach only by reviewing documents from a separate hospital trust inquiry — not from the ambulance service itself.

Three young girls — Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe — were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance class on Hart Street in Southport in July 2024. Ten others were physically injured. The father of a 13-year-old girl who survived, stabbed in the back and arm while helping supervise the class, has spoken publicly through solicitors while his daughter remains protected by an anonymity order.

Key Takeaways

• North West Ambulance Service is investigating whether fewer than 10 staff inappropriately accessed Southport victims' medical records.
• The girl's father alleges ambulance workers acted out of morbid curiosity and calls the discovery a complete breach of trust.
• Families learned of the possible ambulance breach while reviewing documents from a separate Aintree Hospital records inquiry.
• NWAS has notified the ICO but, according to reporting, did not inform patients or formally discipline staff involved.
• Solicitors for 22 survivors are calling for a full NHS England review of data-access guidance and disciplinary procedures.

What did the Southport victim's father say about ambulance staff?

The father told the BBC his family suffered a complete breach of trust in our darkest hours. He said it was already incredibly difficult to think that staff at Aintree Hospital had needlessly pried into our daughter's condition.

But to then learn that ambulance staff have done the same and we have only found out by raking through these documents is appalling, he added. He alleged they weren't checking on her condition, they just wanted to satisfy their own morbid curiosity.

He said NHS trusts were still unable to tell them with certainty whether photographs of their daughter's injuries were viewed by staff. The decision to share what happened to her should have been our daughter's to make, now nobody can guarantee what data was shared and retained.

They've had multiple chances to tell us about this but instead we have been left to discover it all two years later, when we should be focusing on recovering and moving forward, he said.

How did families discover the ambulance records breach?

Fletchers Solicitors, which is already investigating the earlier hospital breach, said the family were reviewing documents given to them by NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) about breaches at Aintree Hospital.

While reading those papers, they saw information suggesting staff from North West Ambulance Service might have also accessed their daughter's records without cause. A document stated that under 10 individuals might have inappropriately accessed the incident within the ambulance service.

According to The Independent, citing HSJ reporting, a March 2025 UHLG report obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed 10 individuals in the ambulance service may have inappropriately accessed the incident. At the time, NWAS's data security lead decided it was not appropriate to inform the patients.

What is North West Ambulance Service doing about the investigation?

NWAS chief executive Salman Desai said the trust had identified concerns about potential inappropriate access to patient records and is formally investigating the matter. We will contact families and patients who may have been affected as our enquiries progress, he said.

Any inappropriate access to patient information will be treated extremely seriously. We are deeply sorry for the concern and distress this may cause, Desai added. NWAS has notified the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Fletchers Solicitors said the ambulance trust was not formally disciplining staff but had strengthened their HR process for future incidents. The Independent, citing HSJ, reported that NWAS did not inform patients or their families and did not discipline staff over the matter.

Why does the Aintree Hospital breach matter here?

The ambulance probe follows a separate admission in May that nearly 50 staff members at Aintree Hospital, run by UHLG, had looked inappropriately at the medical records of some injured Southport victims in the days after the attack. UHLG has previously called that breach inexcusable and said changes were made, although no-one was sacked.

Disciplinary outcomes at Aintree ranged from informal counselling to final written warnings, according to earlier BBC reporting on the hospital trust's admission. The contrast with other NHS cases has sharpened calls for national reform.

In May, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said 11 members of staff had been dismissed and a further 14 had actions taken against them for inappropriately accessing medical records of Nottingham stabbing victims. In June, Cambridge University Hospitals said it was investigating after roughly 40 staff accessed records of a three-year-old boy hurt in a crocodile pit.

What are survivors and solicitors demanding from NHS England?

Solicitors acting for the girl and for another 21 of the 23 girls who survived the attack are calling for a full-scale review by NHS England into the guidance and disciplinary procedures for staff who inappropriately access patient data.

Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, associate solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, said the recent string of patient data breaches has shown there is a deep-rooted culture of snooping within the NHS. People who are seriously injured or dying should not have the added worry that they are being pried on, as they are rushed into hospital fighting for their lives.

Leanne Lucas, the Taylor Swift-themed dance instructor and one of three adult survivors, said she was devastated and horrified by the latest potential data breach. Life has never been the same since 29 July 2024, and so many people are still living with the trauma of that day, she told the BBC.

She said learning that trust may have been breached in this way is simply unacceptable and that she is now waiting to hear from North West Ambulance Service as to whether her records were accessed. For families weighing how to protect sensitive personal information after high-profile incidents, broader privacy lessons sit alongside financial planning — a theme we explore in our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income coverage.

What could regulators do next?

An ICO spokesperson said NWAS had made them aware of their internal investigation into the potential inappropriate access of medical records by staff. As this is ongoing, we will assess any evidence provided in due course and consider our next steps, including whether any criminal investigations need to be opened for breaking data protection law, they said.

The ICO added it was supporting organisations to address the wider issue of data breaches across the health sector, working closely with the National Data Guardian and NHS England. HSJ reported that the ambulance investigation intensifies calls for a national review into patient privacy across the NHS.

For authoritative background on the father's allegations and NWAS's response, see the BBC's full report. The case underscores that unauthorised record access, if proven, can compound trauma long after the initial crisis.