The Southport killer had “left-wing extremist behaviour” which worried support workers who were working with him to counter his isolation and anxiety, the inquiry into the murders has heard.
Axel Rudakubana’s parents reported a series of violent incidents in the home in the years before the 2024 fatal attack, but support workers repeatedly closed the cases, saying “all needs were met”.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July last year by Rudakubana, then aged 17.
Three children were killed in the attack last year. File pic: PA
Lancashire council’s children and family wellbeing service closed a series of four cases designed to support the family dealing with Rudakubana, who had autism spectrum disorder and anxiety.
Parents ‘scared’ of Rudakubana
A referral was made between September 2021 to March 2022 following further concerns raised by Rudakubana’s father, Alphonse.
The initial assessment noted: “Parents admitted they can be scared of Axel.”
Sharon Barrett, a senior family support worker, and Louise Lewis undertook an initial home visit on 4 October 2021, when Rudakubana told them he had stopped attending a pupil referral unit.
The notes of the meeting recorded that they tried to get Rudakubana to understand if he did not attend school, his parents could end up being fined, but he “didn’t seem bothered, saying he makes his own money via the internet”.
Flowers and tributes to the Southport victims laid outside the Atkinson Art Centre on 20 August 2024. File pic: PA
He was asked to share what he was doing to make money, but he refused, saying, “you don’t need to know”.
Rudakubana added: “It’s fine. It’s not illegal.”
Ms Lewis noted that Rudakubana “likes news”, and it gave him the “opportunity to talk about what’s going on politically in the world”.
She added: “Axel didn’t seem to understand that his opinions and thoughts may cause upset to other people.”
Ms Lewis recorded “concerns in relation to Axel’s extreme thoughts around what’s going on in the world and politics, which could put Axel at risk of being involved in left-wing extremist behaviours, and his thoughts being said in the wrong environment may make him vulnerable”.
Rudakubana’s Taliban question
Ms Barrett told the inquiry that Rudakubana also asked “why do people have a really bad vision of the Taliban when there’s other governments, like the American government, who go into countries and can hurt people?”.
Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall, said there was “a sign of increase of risk in a number of ways”.
Rudakubana had already been referred to Prevent by his school on three separate occasions, but none had been adopted by the government’s ant-terror programme.
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Other concerns included references to MI5, the IRA, the Israel-Palestine conflict and former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He also looked at images of US high school shootings and the London Bridge attack.
The inquiry continues.
