Southport inquiry: killer’s brother said he feared he would kill two years before attack | Southport attack

Axel Rudakubana’s brother feared the Southport attacker was going to kill someone two years before carrying out the atrocity, an inquest heard.

Giving evidence via video link from a secret location on Tuesday, Dion Rudakubana said his brother reminded him of the sociopathic killer in the movie No Country for Old Men.

Axel Rudakubana was 17 when he killed seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and attempted to kill 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

Dion Rudakubana, who is two years older than his brother, described his younger brother’s violent outbursts; He said this used to happen when they were in the car on the way to school together, but it got worse when Rudakubana was expelled from school in October 2019.

The 21-year-old actor said in a statement that his brother’s behavior was “unpredictable and inconsistent” and that any disagreement “could turn into an argument”.

The inquest was shown messages Dion Rudakubana sent to a friend when he returned home from his first year at university in December 2022.

Dion Rudakubana said in his messages: [Axel] Doing something potentially fatal is the biggest concern.

He told the inquest: “There were several incidents where we had to call the police.”

In another message, he said: “Fights are scary because of the danger of someone dying.

“My brother doesn’t show much mercy, so Dad has to try not to die. We hide the knives to alleviate that factor.”

Inquiry barrister Richard Boyle asked: “Did you have serious fears that your brother was going to kill a member of your family?”

Dion Rudakubana replied: “If things come to that.” He said he thinks the scare exists before Christmas 2022. “I remember being scared going to college,” she said.

He said he did not remember being asked whether Rudakubana was being abused by social services or the police. When asked if he was considering telling anyone, he said: “No, because it was being prepared, it’s not something that just came out.”

Dion Rudakubana admitted that his parents had “lost control” over Axel and that there would be “grave risk” if they punished him.

He said that he watched the movie No Country for Old Men and that the main character, who killed more than 10 people and who he said must be a sociopath, reminded him of his brother.

“That’s why it concerns me,” he said. “I felt the threat of being inside the house. Even then, there were no consequences.”

Dion Rudakubana said his brother “dominated the living room” of the family home from 2021 and therefore did not spend time there. He said: “My mum and dad told me I had to be careful.”

His last interaction with his sibling was in the summer of 2023, when his parents asked him to say goodbye to the younger sibling, and he responded by throwing a metal bottle at him.

Rudakubana’s parents, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire, will testify regarding the investigation within the week. Reporting restrictions prevent the release of any details that might identify where the family currently lives.