Southport killer ‘trying to retraumatise victims’ families from behind bars’

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana is trying to ‘retraumatise’ his victims’ families from behind bars, a lawyer representing them has said.

Rudakubana, now 19, was jailed for life for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.

Next Wednesday marks two years since he carried out the horrific knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, 2024.

This week, it emerged he has been transferred from the high security HMP Belmarsh to Broadmoor Hospital.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson insisted the move does not alter Rudakubana’s 52-year minimum sentence, but it drew condemnation and accusations the killer is ‘playing the system’.

Chris Walker, who is representing the three bereaved families, told BBC Breakfast: ‘It’s a deep concern of mine that this is a pattern starting to develop by him trying to retraumatise the families from his cell, and it’s a deep concern that this is going to occur every anniversary.’

In May last year, almost a year after the attacks, Rudakubana used a kettle in his cell at HMP Belmarsh to pour boiling water over a prison officer.

Mr Walker also pointed out that there was ‘no suggestion’ that Rudakubana was under any form of ‘psychosis’ when he carried out the murders.

The families were informed of the decision in a letter on July 22, but were not given details on why the transfer happened.

Mr Walker said: ‘With the vacuum of information, the concern is that he’s manipulating the situation to his own benefit.’

He added: ‘For it to come out the week before the anniversary seems coincidental to us.

‘Whether that’s been poorly handled by the Government, or whether it’s designed by him.’

Sally Jameson, a junior housing minister and former prison officer, said on Friday that Rudakubana would be returned to prison ‘as soon as possible’ but that she was not familiar with why the decision had been taken to move him.

The move to Broadmoor high security hospital from the category A prison Belmarsh was first reported by The Guardian on Thursday.

Offenders who present an increased risk and cannot be managed safely in a prison environment because of mental disorders, can be moved to secure psychiatric units.

People in these units are treated as patients rather than prisoners.

Mr Walker said: ‘When he did what he did, it was carefully planned, it was meticulous and it was designed to cause the maximum distress to society.

‘There’s no evidence of any mental health disorder being a component of his crime.

‘There’s no evidence of psychosis.

‘The families say, given that, he needs to serve a prison sentence, he should not be going to hospital.

‘He needs to be in prison.’

Mr Walker said that the letter included the offer of a meeting with the Director for Public Protection, which he will attend on behalf of the families.

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