Southport families vow to fight on as police issue major update | Politics | News
Southport brutality sparks nationwide outrage (Image: PA)
The law should be changed so the parents of Southport monster Axel Rudakubana could face a police investigation after an inquiry accused them of failing to stop the cruelty, campaigners have declared.
Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire knew that their son stockpiled knives, made poison in his room, and had a morbid obsession with violence.
And Southport Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford delivered a scathing assessment, revealing how they ignored their son’s determination to carry out an attack.
Rudakubana, then 17, killed Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, and attempted to kill 10 more people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, 2024.
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Their family had previously demanded that Rudakubana’s parents be “held accountable” for their son’s crimes.
The head of the investigation declared that the attack would not have happened if the killer’s parents had done “what they were morally required to do”.
In a report published yesterday, Sir Adrian described the murderer’s mother and father’s “complete abdication of responsibility” as “completely unconscionable”.
He said he “strongly criticized moral failure.” [Rudakubana’s] alert parents to authorities [his] “I found Rudakubana’s fatalistic approach to the risks of causing violence to others.”
He recommended creating a legal duty requiring parents, legal guardians or bystanders to report criminal activity.
In his two-volume, 763-page report, Sir Adrian said there had been a “fundamental failure” by any agency or multi-agency arrangement to embrace the risk posed by Rudakubana.
He highlighted five systematic failures, including a misunderstanding of autism, a lack of moderation of his online activities, and the absence of any institution acknowledging responsibility for Rudakubana.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed to make “fundamental changes” to keep the public safe following these “distressing” findings.
There are currently no crimes that would allow the police to charge someone if they fail to turn a potential criminal over to the police.
And Merseyside Police said in a statement: “As outlined today as part of a recommendation in the Southport Inquiry report, there is no statutory duty for bystanders and/or parents to warn or report criminality.
“Following a thorough investigation and analyzing the information provided to the Southport Inquiry, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.
“Therefore, the criminal investigation has concluded and no charges will be brought.”
Shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns said: “The Southport Inquiry showed beyond doubt that Axel Rudakubana’s parents failed to meet their responsibilities.
“Police must closely examine the results of the Investigation and consider whether criminal charges should be laid.
“Two years on, the Government has still not acted on the very clear advice given by the Independent Examiner of Terrorism Legislation: introduce a new offense for a person who plans an attack that causes mass casualties without a terrorist motive.
“While nothing can heal the pain caused by Rudakubana, this crime will give the police the power to disrupt order and appropriately charge future impersonators.”
Lawyer Chris Walker, representing the bereaved families of the three girls, said of the parents: “He had not left the house for two years unless he was armed or wanted to do harm, but that day they allowed him to leave knowing he was carrying a gun.
“This struggle does not end today.
“We call for immediate action, clear accountability and real change, not just assurances that ‘lessons have been learned’.
“The public deserves systems that can detect increased risk, protect vulnerable people and prevent mass acts of violence. We, along with our customers, will continue to push for this change until it happens.”
The investigation concluded that the sick teenager’s parents, police, mental health services, council chiefs and Prevent failed to intervene properly despite clear signs of the risk posed by Rudakubana.
Axel Rudakubana is thought to spend the rest of his life behind bars (Image:-)
Sir Adrian discovered Alphonse Rudakubana “turned a blind eye” to the arms shipment because he wanted to “avoid confrontation” with his violent son, whom he prevented from attacking a school a week before the Southport massacre.
In a damning assessment, Sir Adrian concluded: “Had Alphonse R acted more responsibly on 15 July 2024, he could and should have obtained the large knives AR had ordered, one of which he went on to use in the murders and attempted murders on 29 July 2024.”
“AR’s family knew he had ordered at least one large knife. They knew he was planning an attack on Range High School on July 22, 2024, and believed he had a knife in his possession. They later saw other weapons stored in his room and a suspicious item. When AR left the house on the day of the attack, they saw at least one empty package of knives. They did not report any of these.”
Sir Adrian said Axel even returned to his mother, Ms Muzayire’s bed, after hearing him leave the house on the morning of the attack.
They ignored fears he would carry out a knife attack as the teenager went for a walk, less than a week after stopping him from storming the school.
Sir Adrian added: “I conclude without hesitation that Alphonse R and Laetitia M knew to call the police immediately when knife packaging was found in the washing machine, but once again they failed to take appropriate action.
“The first question that came to each of their minds was: “Where is the knife in the package (before the package was hidden in the washing machine)?”
Both Mr Rudakubana and Axel’s brother Dion heard of an atrocity in Southport and feared it had been committed by relatives.
Sir Adrian said if Rudakubana’s family called 999 as soon as he left, police officers could have arrested Rudakubana before he got into the taxi.
He added: “I have no doubt that the attack would have been prevented if AR was searched, found to have a knife in his hand and arrested.
“AR’s parents could and should have followed AR, watched him, saw him waiting outside and stopped the taxi from taking AR to Hart Street and then notified the police.”
The investigation revealed how Mr Rudakubana tried to blame his sons’ school for an attack on another student with a hockey stick.
Rudakubana’s parents also justified his history of carrying guns, and Alphonse became so aggressive towards a psychiatrist that the specialist refused to treat the teenager.
The investigation revealed that the parents repeatedly blocked the authorities because of concerns that their violent sons would be taken away from them.
This led them to withhold information from authorities, including that he was building his own arsenal of weapons.
The investigation revealed that in the days before the attack they realized he was planning to commit an atrocity.
The judge added: “AR’s parents bear significant responsibility for failing to fully warn any appropriate agency of their son’s risk of a serious or fatal attack.”
In his report, which made 67 recommendations, Sir Adrian said there had been a “fundamental failure” within each agency or multi-agency arrangement to take responsibility for the risk posed by Rudakubana.
