The Southport attack could and should have been stopped by police, social services and the killer's parents, who failed to heed years of warning signs over his escalating obsession with violence.
A bombshell report from the Southport Inquiry found a string of missed chances to halt Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, before he unleashed his attack of “unparalleled cruelty” on a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop on 29 July 2024. The horrific stabbing claimed the lives of three children and left eight more girls and two adults wounded. Misinformation about the atrocity spread fast on social media, fuelling anti-immigration riots nationwide.
The report said that the killer’s “trajectory towards grave violence was signposted repeatedly and unambiguously” for many years, with “catastrophic consequences”.
Chair of the inquiry Sir Adrian Fulford concluded that “this terrible event could have been – and should have been – prevented”.
He pointed part of the blame at the teenager’s parents, concluding “it is almost certain” that the tragedy would have been stopped if they had shared the full extent of their concerns about their out-of-control son with authorities.
The former high court judge also took aim at multiple agencies for allowing Rudakubana to fall through the cracks while no-one took overall responsibility for managing the risk he posed.
The inquiry warned that Rudakubana’s autism diagnosis was wrongly used as an “excuse” for his worrying behaviour and he was left unsupervised online, where he grew fixated with extreme violence.
Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, agreed the report exposed “systemic failures” and vowed to make changes to protect the public.
In the damning 763-page report, Sir Adrian found:
- A “fundamental failure” by any organisation to take responsibility for managing Rudakubana’s “grave risks”
- There were missed opportunities over many years to intervene by his parents and other agencies, including missed chances to arrest him for carrying a knife and a decision to reject him from anti-terror programme Prevent
- Rudakubana’s “deeply problematic behaviour was too frequently excused on the basis of his perceived or diagnosed autism spectrum disorder”
- The killer became “ever more fixated on extreme violence” after spending the majority of his waking hours “wholly unsupervised” online
- “Significant parental failures” hid crucial information from officials in the days leading up to the attack and allowed knives and weapons to be delivered to his home
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered when Rudakubana entered The Hart Space, armed with a knife in summer 2024. He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes. The 19-year-old, who was simply referred to as “the perpetrator” or “AR” in hearings out of respect to victims and their families, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years.
The inquiry, held over nine weeks at Liverpool Town Hall last year, heard from more than 100 witnesses, 67 who gave live evidence, about Rudakubana’s involvement with health services, social care and education, and the three referrals to Prevent which were made, and closed, before he carried out the attack.
In a statement delivered at Liverpool Town Hall on Monday, Sir Adrian said: “I have no doubt that if appropriate procedures had been in place and if sensible steps had been taken by the agencies and AR’s parents, this dreadful event would not have happened. It could have been and it should have been prevented.”
He continued: “AR’s trajectory towards grave violence was signposted repeatedly and unambiguously. Yet the systems and agencies responsible for safeguarding the public did not act with the cohesion, urgency or clarity required.”
Commenting on the parent’s handling of the teenager, who he described as an “aggressive, near total recluse”, he added: “If the full extent of AR’s family’s concerns had been shared with authorities in late July 2024 – including on the day of the attack – it is almost certain this tragedy would have been prevented.”
Sir Adrian acknowledged Rudakubana had placed his parents in an “extremely difficult position”.
“Their life at home must have become little short of a nightmare, given, to use the words of his own father, AR had turned into a monster,” the chair said.
However, he found the couple, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire, had “created significant obstructions” for agencies working with him, did not stand up to his behaviour and failed to report a clear escalation in his risk.
He said: “If AR’s parents had done what they morally ought to have done, AR would not have been at liberty to conduct the attack and it would not therefore have occurred.”
It should have been “obvious” to those in a position to act that Rudakubana was not being “effectively parented”, he added.
Both Rudakubana’s parents, who moved to the UK from Rwanda, gave evidence to the inquiry from remote locations.
His mother told the hearing: “There are many things that Alphonse and I wish we had done differently, anything that might have prevented the horrific event of July 29 2024. (For) our failure, we are profoundly sorry.”
Sir Adrian said Rudakubana had “clearly revealed the extreme danger that he presented to others” more than four years before his attack, when he went to his former school, the Range High School in Formby, armed with a kitchen knife and a hockey stick and attacked a student.
The inquiry chair said the incident in December 2019, for which the teenager received a 10-month referral order, was a “watershed event” and should have led agencies to conclude he posed a “high risk of harm to others”.
The inquiry heard between 2019 and 2024, Rudakubana was referred to anti-terror programme Prevent three times, but the referrals were closed. He purchased a number of weapons online, including three machetes, as well as ingredients he used to make the poison ricin.
The report found the officers who rejected Rudakubana from Prevent made the wrong decision. If the teenager’s internet browsing history – which included searches for school shootings and degloving injuries – had been provided by the school the first referral would have been adopted.
He said: “Notwithstanding these mistakes, the Prevent officers acted with diligence and they were hampered by the lack of clarity as to whether Prevent should take on someone in AR’s circumstances, namely an individual demonstrating signs of being fixated on violence but without an adherence to a particular ideology.
“This uncertainty was a significant factor. Nonetheless, rejecting AR for further action under the Prevent programme in response to the first referral was simply the wrong decision.”
The chair recommended the second phase of the inquiry should consider appointing a single agency to monitor interventions for high-risk children. He also said it should consider gaing the ability to restrict or monitor their access to the internet.
Chris Walker, a solicitor representing the bereaved families of the three girls, said “seeing the extent of the failures in black and white” was devastating.
“On behalf of our clients we welcome the report's clear – though deeply distressing – findings on the profound systemic failures and individual failures, that preceded this attack and the responsibility borne by AR's parents,” he added.
“The chair's conclusion that this atrocity would not have occurred had agencies taken ownership of the escalating risk is stark.”
The families of the survivors warned “this must not happen again” as they called for urgent steps to address 67 recommendations made in the report.
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, of law firm Fletchers, represents the families of 22 of the wounded children.
“The physical and emotional scars inflicted on them are a daily reminder of something that we now know could and should have been prevented,” she said.
“They have bravely shared their stories with this inquiry, reliving the horror of that day, in the hope that things can be done, change can happen and that no other family will have to suffer as they have.
“We ask that where recommendations have been made, those individuals and agencies to which they are addressed, take action now. Not tomorrow.”
Nicola Brook, solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter, representing the three adult survivors, said her clients were heroes who have suffered a “deluge of unjustified criticism on social media”, which she called to end.
“The report crystallises one of our key concerns throughout – that every organisation tried to shirk responsibility, and that there was a disturbing lack of leadership,” she added.
Sir Keir described the findings as “truly harrowing and profoundly disturbing” as he described the murders as “one of the darkest moments in our country’s history”.
Responding to the report, he added. “It sets out in stark detail the systemic failures over the five years that led to this terrible event, and the repeated missed opportunities that could have prevented it.
“While nothing will ever bring three little girls back, erase the trauma from those injured, or undo the lasting impact on those who witnessed such horror, I am determined to make the fundamental changes needed to keep the public safe.”
Ms Mahmood, said: “Sir Adrian’s report is heartbreaking. It shows a systematic failure of the state to prevent a vile and sickening individual perpetrating this atrocity.”
The government will respond to the inquiry’s recommendations by summer. A second phase, due to begin straight away, is expected to focus on the risk posed by young people fixated with extreme violence.
Mark Wynn, chief executive of Lancashire County Council, issued an apology and promised to implement the report’s recommendations in full.
“We are deeply sorry for the failures identified and for the part we played in the systemic shortcomings that preceded the attack in Southport,” he added.
“We know that no words can ease the grief of the families who lost loved ones, or the pain of those who were injured and traumatised.
“Since 2019, we have made substantial changes to our safeguarding practice, and the chair’s findings will inform our continued improvement. We are committed to implementing all recommendations directed to us in full.”
Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Sacha Hatchett, who policed the area where Rudakubana lived with his family in Banks, Lancashire, accepted there was an opportunity to arrest the teenager on 17 March 2022, when he was found on a bus with a knife.
She said: “We did not adequately assess the risk he posed to others. I am extremely sorry for this.
“I fully accept all the recommendations made for Lancashire Constabulary these include, but are not limited to, record keeping and risk assessment, the better sharing of information between partner agencies, improvements in training, and improvements in the availability of effective technology for frontline officers.”
Chief Constable Rob Carden, of Merseyside Police, which responded to the attack, said the force welcomes and acknowledges the findings.
He paid tribute to families of Elsie, Bebe and Alice, adding: “It is incumbent on all the organisations referred to by the inquiry to act on the recommendations made to ensure everything possible is done to prevent this from happening again.”
