On July 29, 2024, a mass stabbing targeting young girls occurred at The Hart Space, a dance studio in the Meols Cop area of Southport, Merseyside, according to reports. Axel Rudakubana, then 17, killed three young girls and inflicted life-altering injuries on ten others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The victims were Bebe King, aged 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged 9. Two girls died at the scene, six injured children and two adults were taken to hospital in critical condition, and a third girl died the following day, reports indicate. Rudakubana also tried to murder eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes at the venue, according to reports.
Axel Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the attack in July 2024. Shortly before 11:45 on that day, he arrived at Hart Street by taxi booked under the false name 'Simon', reports say. He was arrested at the scene and charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article, according to reports. The Rudakubana family left their home in Banks, Merseyside, on the day Axel was arrested and never returned, reports indicate. He was later separately charged under the Biological Weapons Act 1974 and Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to possession of ricin and a military study of an Al-Qaeda training manual, according to reports.
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murders and other charges and was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to all 16 charges on January 20, 2025, having initially entered a not-guilty plea, reports say. No motive for the stabbings was identified; the prosecution suggested motivation could have been 'the commission of mass murder as an end in itself' and no evidence of terrorism was found, according to reports.
An inquiry chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford found the attack was 'foreseeable and avoidable' and 'could have been - and should have been - prevented'. The inquiry report, which spans 763 pages according to reports, concluded that if the full extent of the family's concerns had been shared with authorities in late July 2024, the tragedy would almost certainly have been prevented. The inquiry's phase one report was released on Monday, focusing on policing, criminal justice, and agencies involved with the killer's care, reports indicate.
The inquiry listed five major areas of systemic failure: absence of risk ownership, critical failures in information sharing, misunderstanding of autism, lack of oversight of online activity, and significant parental failures, according to reports. Agencies repeatedly passed the risk to others and closed or downgraded their involvement, described as a 'merry-go-round referral system', reports say. The perpetrator slipped through the cracks and no agency took responsibility for him, according to reports. At least six public bodies are expected to be criticised in the inquiry findings, reports suggest.
Axel Rudakubana's parents, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muyzaire, knew he was hoarding weapons for at least a year but did not report it to police, according to the inquiry report. The parents failed to provide boundaries, permitted weapons to be delivered to the home, and failed to report crucial information leading up to the attack, the report found. The perpetrator's parents created significant obstructions to constructive engagement with authorities, according to the report. Merseyside police confirmed no charges would be brought against the parents, reports say.
Officials unacceptably used Rudakubana's autism as an excuse for his violent behaviour, according to reports. Axel Rudakubana had unsupervised access to disturbing online material, including downloading an Al-Qaeda training manual. The inquiry highlighted the lack of oversight of online activity as a key failure.
Axel Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent programme three times. He had a history of violent and concerning behavior and was referred to the Home Office anti-extremism programme Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021, but was not accepted as no terrorist ideology was identified, according to reports. Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to overhaul terrorism laws to include non-ideological acts of violence and appointed David Anderson to lead a review of the Prevent programme, reports indicate.
The inquiry report identifies very serious repeated failings by public bodies, according to reports. The Conservative opposition will support the government taking necessary actions in response to the 67 recommendations in the report, reports say. The only factor that should be considered when examining individuals is the risk they pose, and nothing else, according to reports. There has already been a change in practice on the sharing of information, reports say. The inquiry made 67 recommendations.
The day after the attack, rioters clashed with police in Southport and damaged a mosque after misinformation about the attacker's identity was spread online, according to reports. Over the next few days, mass anti-immigration protests and riots spread nationwide, reports indicate.
The Hart Space was a community studio venue on Hart Street in Meols Cop, Southport, about a mile east of the town center, hosting yoga, dance, pregnancy, and baby and toddler classes, according to reports. The workshop was organized by yoga teacher Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle, advertised as a yoga, dance, and bracelet-making workshop themed around Taylor Swift for children ages 6-11, reports indicate. The workshop was sold-out by July 18, 2024, with 26 children booked, according to reports.
Axel Rudakubana, then 17, also tried to murder eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes at The Hart Space in Southport, according to reports.
The parents sought asylum in Britain from Rwanda in 2002, according to reports.
At least six public bodies are expected to be criticised in the inquiry findings, according to reports.