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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National

Rudakubana, risk and parents’ responsibility

Axel Rudakubana Gaby Hinsliff Elsie Dot Stancombe Mental Health
A photo of Elsie Dot Stancombe among the flowers and tributes for the three girls who were killed by Axel Rudakubana.
A photo of Elsie Dot Stancombe among the flowers and tributes for the three girls who were killed by Axel Rudakubana. Photograph: Paul Currie/PA

I read Gaby Hinsliff’s article regarding the culpability of Axel Rudakubana’s parents with a sinking heart (Are Axel Rudakubana’s parents responsible for his terrible crime? It’s a question many families will fear to answer, 17 April).

I’m no apologist for the parents, but I’m a lawyer working in the field of mental health and frequently appear before the court of protection in complex cases where we try to balance the need to protect and respect people with complex mental health needs and balance their rights against the rights of the public. It’s not an easy task and the reality is that there isn’t much scope, nor appetite, for taking people into custody who have not yet, and may never, commit a crime.

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