Southport taxi driver who dropped killer made £5,000 from public donations to ‘pay for new car’ – after he fled the scene as he watched screaming children run for their lives

The taxi driver who dropped off Southport killer Axel Rudakubana before fleeing as screaming children ran for their lives cashed in £5,000 from public donations to pay for his new car, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Gary Poland, 57, raced away from the scene despite hearing a “frightening orchestra of blood-curdling screams” coming from children during the horrific massacre at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club on July 29, 2024.

The taxi driver had previously stated the following after escaping: She called her best friend twice and even paid another fee before heading home and finally called the police 50 minutes later.

Rudakubana, then 17, killed six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and injured 10 others in a frenzied stabbing attack at The Hart Space on Hart Street.

Mr Poland, whose taxi license was revoked by Sefton Council, claimed he heard four or five loud bangs and drove in ‘death terror and shock’ because he feared Rudakubana had a gun and was shooting people.

Mr. Poland did not stop to help even though he saw the children running and screaming in terror in the rearview mirror. Detectives prosecuting the case said they were ‘morally expected’ to call the police immediately.

Despite telling the Southport public inquiry that he ‘regretted’ not helping the children, the Mail can reveal Mr Poland made £5,002 from a fundraising page launched just eight days after the tragedy.

The fundraiser, in which 363 members of the public donated, said Poland’s new car had been seized by the police for forensic analysis and that he would have to pay the cost of its seizure in “three weeks to six months or even a year”.

He added: ‘Gary has just bought the car so he needs to pay the car payments as well as the usual bills.

Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana is seen in the back of a taxi before launching a frenzied attack on children. Poland fled fearing for his life

(LR) Six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed in the July 29, 2024 atrocity.

‘He is quite traumatized by what happened and, like everyone involved that day, feels he could have done more. But no one knew what would happen, so they couldn’t do anything different.

‘We don’t know how long his car will be confiscated or how long he will be unemployed, so £2,000 is just an estimate of how much he will need. Any help is greatly appreciated.’

It is unclear what Mr Poland spent the money on because under police rules a person should not have to pay storage fees if their vehicle is being used for forensic examination. Mr Poland and the taxi company have been approached for comment.

Sefton Council on Merseyside confirmed yesterday that Mr Poland’s taxi license had been revoked for ‘failing to meet appropriate standards’.

Taxi license hearings are private and the reasons for license revocation are never made public.

But conditions added to licenses issued by Sefton Council state that drivers must be ‘in a good position to help keep children and young people safe’.

The rules add: ‘Of course, if you think a child or young person is in serious danger of immediate harm you should call the emergency police telephone number 999.’

In September last year, the taxi driver of 27 years told a public inquiry at Liverpool City Hall that he wished he had called the police sooner.

But he insisted: ‘I did what I did through fear, shock and panic.

‘These are human emotions that I cannot control. ‘I regret not helping the children, their screams were heartbreaking.’

The inquest was shown Mr Poland’s statement to police about six hours after the attack.

In it, he described children’s screams as ‘horrible’ and ‘the scariest sound’.

‘An orchestra of blood-curdling screams filled the air,’ he told police. ‘Scream after scream pierced my ears, the screams sounded like a mixture of young and old, male and female.

‘This was so scary, I was in a state of complete mortal fear and shock.

‘I then saw a group of children, aged about six or seven, stumble and hurriedly run out of 34a Hart St. in a panic. ‘They were screaming, it was like a stampede for their lives.’

Despite this, Mr. Poland admitted that he did not stop or call the police; Instead, out of concern for his safety, he called his best friend, Julian Medlock, who worked in the garage and the spray shop next to the dance studio.

Mr Poland claimed that during the investigation he had accepted his next job and that it ‘accidentally’ came to him a short time later via an App on his mobile phone.

In this conversation Mr Poland told Mr Medlock: ‘I heard these bloody gunshots and I shot at Jim… I’m lucky he didn’t shoot me, wasn’t he?’

Mr Poland claimed during the investigation that he accepted his next job, which came to him ‘accidentally’ shortly afterwards via an app on his mobile phone.

‘I accepted the job, I don’t know why,’ he said. ‘My head wasn’t there, I didn’t really know what I was doing.’

Mr Moss said Mr Poland even had casual conversations with his female passenger and when a police car sped past with its emergency lights flashing and sirens blaring, she said: ‘He’s in a hurry, isn’t he?’

The inquest heard that Mr Poland’s failure to call 999 immediately did not cause a significant delay because dance teacher Leanne Lucas was able to call him within minutes of the attack starting, despite being seriously injured from multiple stab wounds.

Chris Walker, serious injury director at law firm Bond Turner, said three bereaved families he represented welcomed the decision to revoke Mr Poland’s license “as a necessary step towards securing individual liability for those whose actions fell below the standards the public should expect”.

Sefton Council said: ‘Mr Poland no longer holds a taxi driver’s licence, following a review by the local authority into whether he holds this licence.

‘The council found that he did not meet appropriate standards.’

Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment and a minimum term of 52 years at Liverpool Crown Court in January last year.

A spokesman added that taxi license hearings were held privately and the exact reason for the cancellation was not made public.

The inquest heard that Mr Poland, who worked for One Call Taxis, picked Rudakubana from his home in the village of Banks, about five miles from the seaside town, at 11.31am.

He used the fake name ‘Simon’ to book a taxi and was wearing a Covid-style face mask and a distinctive green hoodie.

Mr Poland said Rudakubana spoke very little during the 14-minute journey but that this was not a cause for concern.

However, when the taxi stopped in front of the dance studio, Rudakubana got out without paying.

Mr. Poland said he objected to him and threatened to call the police, but Rudakubana walked away and entered the studio up the stairs.

The inquest was told that distress sounds were recorded on Mr Poland’s dashcam just 29 seconds later.

Mr Poland said: ‘I was waiting for my money. ‘I thought I’d give him a minute or two and I did, then I heard all the screaming.’

He claimed he went into ‘panic mode’ and walked away after hearing what he thought was a gunshot.

Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed by 17-year-old Rudakubana. Ten more people, including eight girls and two adults, were seriously injured.

Rudakubana admitted the murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court in January last year.

Mr Poland said he has suffered psychological problems since the attack and no longer buys tickets he doesn’t know about.

‘I can’t sleep at night,’ he said. ‘I close my eyes and see her face, she’s always in my head.’