The families of children murdered by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana were “shocked” by how many “missed opportunities” to stop him there had been, their solicitor has said.

Sara Stranger told BBC Breakfast the parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar were “relieved” that the criminal case was over and glad that a public inquiry would be held.

But Ms Stranger said it was clear the 18-year-old – who was jailed for 52 years on Thursday – “fell through gaps” between different agencies who might have spotted the danger he posed.

After Rudakubana pleaded guilty last Monday to murdering the girls and attempting to kill eight other children and two adults, it emerged he had had multiple referrals to the government’s anti-radicalisation programme Prevent.