Those involved in the care and monitoring of the Southport killer ‘fundamentally failed’ to appreciate the “evident high level of danger” he posed – leading to an “act of chilling brutality”, an inquiry has found.
Axel Rudakubana, 19, was consistently passed between organisations with a “disturbing lack of clarity as to who, if anyone, was the lead” in ensuring the risk he posed was communicated.
The parents of the teenager, who was jailed for a minimum of 52 years, also had an “irresponsible and harmful attitude” to sharing information, meaning they did not do what they “morally ought to have done” and “report the clear escalation in risk”.
All this – the report said, meant his attack on a children’s dance class “could and should have been prevented”.
AR – as he has been known throughout the inquiry – murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.
The killer, then 17, also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes.The Southport Inquiry, held over nine weeks at Liverpool Town Hall in 2025, looked at what happened before and during the attack, identifying missed opportunities and systemic failures.
In a damning report Chair Sir Adrian Fulford concluded he was almost certain “this terrible event could have been – and should have been – prevented.”
He placed blame on those who had responsibility for AR’s care – his parents, schools, agencies, individuals and authorities – and said while the teenager’s “trajectory towards grave violence was signposted repeatedly and unambiguously”, those “responsible for safeguarding the public did not act with the cohesion, urgency or clarity required.”
Concluding the failure by agencies to take responsibility, he added: “The frankly depressing and therefore urgent matter… is this failure – at an organisation and individual level – to stand up and accept responsibility for managing the risk AR posed.
“Far too often AR’s ‘case’ was passed from one public sector agency to another in an inappropriate merry-go-round of referrals, assessments, case closures and hand offs.
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‘Evident high level of danger’ posed by the Southport killer not appreciated, inquiry finds
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Southport Inquiry
Southport
Monday 13 April 2026 at 1:35pm
ITV News Journalist Emma Sweeney reports from Liverpool Town Hall
Those involved in the care and monitoring of the Southport killer ‘fundamentally failed’ to appreciate the “evident high level of danger” he posed – leading to an “act of chilling brutality”, an inquiry has found.
Axel Rudakubana, 19, was consistently passed between organisations with a “disturbing lack of clarity as to who, if anyone, was the lead” in ensuring the risk he posed was communicated.
The parents of the teenager, who was jailed for a minimum of 52 years, also had an “irresponsible and harmful attitude” to sharing information, meaning they did not do what they “morally ought to have done” and “report the clear escalation in risk”.
All this – the report said, meant his attack on a children’s dance class “could and should have been prevented”.
AR – as he has been known throughout the inquiry – murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.
The killer, then 17, also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes.
Southport girls
Bebe King (left), Elsie Dot Stancombe (centre) and Alice da Silva Aguiar (right) were all killed in the attack in July 2024.
Credit: Family photographs
The Southport Inquiry, held over nine weeks at Liverpool Town Hall in 2025, looked at what happened before and during the attack, identifying missed opportunities and systemic failures.
In a damning report Chair Sir Adrian Fulford concluded he was almost certain “this terrible event could have been – and should have been – prevented.”
He placed blame on those who had responsibility for AR’s care – his parents, schools, agencies, individuals and authorities – and said while the teenager’s “trajectory towards grave violence was signposted repeatedly and unambiguously”, those “responsible for safeguarding the public did not act with the cohesion, urgency or clarity required.”
Concluding the failure by agencies to take responsibility, he added: “The frankly depressing and therefore urgent matter… is this failure – at an organisation and individual level – to stand up and accept responsibility for managing the risk AR posed.
“Far too often AR’s ‘case’ was passed from one public sector agency to another in an inappropriate merry-go-round of referrals, assessments, case closures and hand offs.”
Tributes
Tributes to the girls who were killed in the Southport attack.
Credit: ITV News
Moving to his parents, Sir Adrian said they were ready to “excuse and defend” their son’s actions, failing to “stand up to his behaviour and set boundaries”.
Ultimately, he said, this led to their failure to “do what they morally ought to have done” and report “the clear escalation of risk” in the week leading up to the attack.
If they had, he said, “AR would not have been at liberty to conduct the attack and it would not therefore have occurred”.
The chair said while he recognised the role of AR’s parents was “complex” they – particularly his dad – “created significant obstructions to constructive engagement with AR by the various agencies the were involved”.
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