Southport killer Axel Rudakubana appears to be manipulating the system, families’ lawyer says
The lawyer for the families of children murdered by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana said his transfer from prison to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital was an attempt to “manipulate the system”.
Rudakubana, 19, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of three children, Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.
On Thursday Rudakubana was transferred from HMP Belmarsh to a high security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.
Prisoners who pose a risk to staff, other prisoners or themselves due to mental disorders may be transferred to psychiatric units under the Mental Health Act.
Next Wednesday marks two years since Rudakubana carried out the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, 2024.
Lawyer Chris Walker, representing the three grieving families, said that they became aware of the transfer in the last two days.
“While this news could devastate them at any time, in our view it is safe to say that the fact that this has happened as we approach our second anniversary is yet another move by AR trying to manipulate the system once again,” he added.
“We have been given the finest details and whilst we are supporting the families, we would like to urgently seek a meeting with the appropriate authorities to understand the situation before commenting further.”
An investigation was launched in May 2025 after Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer with boiling water.
The Southport Public Inquiry heard evidence of his past mental health problems.
Confirming the transfer on Thursday, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the families of those killed and injured would forever be in the heart of the country and “our thoughts remain with them” and said it did not change Rudakubana’s sentence.
Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years in prison in January 2025, but the judge could not sentence him to life imprisonment because Rudakubana was 17 years old at the time of the attack. It will probably never be released.
Under the Mental Health Act, the Ministry of Justice likely had no choice but to accept the doctors’ advice on whether Rudakubana could be safely kept in prison.
The law requires that he be transferred back to prison when he no longer needs hospital treatment. His sentence is not converted into a “hospital order”, meaning he remains at Broadmoor.
