US EditionParents of Southport killer were 'in denial' after previous school hockey stick attack, inquiry hears
Police flagged Axel Rudakubana as a terrorism risk five years before he fatally stabbed three children in Southport, but intervention through the Prevent programme was not implemented.
- At a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year, Rudakubana killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, and attempted to murder 10 others.
- At 13, Axel Rudakubana was excluded from Range High School after admitting he had taken a knife to school multiple times and later returned armed with a hockey stick and knife, attacking a pupil.
- PC Paul Harrison flagged concerns in an email saying he visited Rudakubana's home to discuss safeguarding, told Rudakubana's mother to supervise Axel at all times, and warned parents were alarmingly downplaying his behaviour.
- Inquiry witnesses said responsibility was shared and unclear, noting DC Hughes stated `I think we all had a responsibility` and Detective Constable Paula Murphy found no relevant device evidence, while a multi‑agency meeting recorded `traits of autism spectrum disorder to a high level`.
- On Monday the Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall was shown PC Harrison's email, prompting counsel to debate whether its exclamation marks flagged a terrorism concern.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Parents of Southport killer were 'in denial' after previous school hockey stick attack, inquiry hears
A police officer who visited the family of the Southport killer after he had attacked a pupil at school with a hockey stick noted that he believed the parents were "still in denial over how serious this actually is".
Evening Standard
Police feared Southport killer could be ‘terrorist’ five years before attack
Axel Rudakubana killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Parents Of Southport Killer Were 'in Denial' After Previous School Hockey Stick Attack, Inquiry Hears - Great Yorkshire Radio
The officer, PC Paul Harrison, from the Lancashire community safeguarding team, emailed his inspector after visiting Axel Rudakubana’s home, telling him: “Nobody told me I would be dealing with terrorists!!!!!!!” The Southport Inquiry, sitting in Liverpool, had earlier heard how the youngster took a knife into school in October 2019, leading to him being expelled, before returning to attack a child with a hockey stick two months later, while car…
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