Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls—Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9—in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29, 2024. He also seriously wounded eight other children and two adults in the assault. Rudakubana was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 52 years after pleading guilty to murder and other charges.
The Southport Inquiry, commissioned by then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and chaired by retired High Court judge Sir Adrian Fulford, established a definitive account of what happened in the Hart Space dance studios on 29 July 2024. The inquiry examined interactions between Rudakubana and different agencies ahead of the attack, finding the atrocity was preventable and resulted from multiple systemic failures. It also looked at how Rudakubana was able to lay his hands on a cache of dangerous weapons, though the specific weapons he purchased and how he obtained them remain unknown.
Rudakubana became a genocide-obsessed loner immersed in online extreme violence, watching graphic videos and purchasing weapons. His behavior deteriorated rapidly when he was expelled from mainstream education in October 2019 for admitting carrying knives at Range High School in Formby, Merseyside. He had been expelled from school at age 13 for taking a knife into lessons on at least ten occasions.
Multiple agencies, including police, social services, mental health teams, and youth justice services, failed to take responsibility for Rudakubana's case, leading to an 'inappropriate merry-go-round' of referrals. Rudakubana was autistic, and officials repeatedly used his diagnosis to excuse his violent behavior, which the inquiry found unacceptable.
I had reached out to various agencies for help.
Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent program three times, but his case was dismissed each time because he lacked a fixed ideology. Greater Manchester Police failed to request Rudakubana's browsing history during a Prevent referral, which would have revealed concerning searches. The exact nature of those concerning online searches Rudakubana made that were not investigated remains unclear.
The inquiry identified five major failings, including failures by Rudakubana's parents to report his behavior. Rudakubana's parents, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire, were criticized for being 'too ready to excuse and defend' his actions and failing to report his obsession with violence and weapon purchases. The parents were living in fear of their son, who threatened them to the point his father feared for his life. The inquiry looked at how Rudakubana's parents minimized and sometimes hid his disturbing behavior.
Merseyside Police stated the parents will not face criminal charges, as there is no legal duty for parents to report criminality and insufficient evidence for conviction. According to BBC News, Alphonse Rudakubana described having reached out to various agencies for help and withholding certain information about how bad things were in the home because he didn't want his son to be taken away.
The inquiry made 67 recommendations covering themes such as weapons purchases, online harms, policing, Prevent, social care, healthcare, education, and family support. Sir Adrian Fulford recommended ministers set up an agency dedicated to complex offenders like Rudakubana. How this proposed new agency for complex offenders will be funded and implemented has not been specified.
I withheld certain information about how bad things were in the home because I didn't want my son to be taken away.
Detailed accounts were heard from witnesses, surviving victims, their families, and bereaved parents during the inquiry. There were tales of bravery, including from parents of a surviving victim who was stabbed six times while shielding her younger sister. Police officers Sgt Greg Gillespie, PC Luke Holden, and PCSO Tim Parry rushed to tackle Rudakubana without waiting for firearms officers. Window cleaner Joel Veritie rushed into the building alongside the officers and carried Bebe's body outside.
Taxi driver Gary Poland drove Rudakubana to the scene and drove away when he saw screaming children streaming out of the building. Poland did not call the police for around 50 minutes and took another fare in the meantime. According to BBC News, Gary Poland described acting out of sheer panic and apologized to the inquiry.
The first phase of the inquiry finished in November 2025. The second phase is due to start in 2026 and will examine how young people become drawn into extreme violence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the inquiry findings are truly harrowing and profoundly disturbing. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood added the report shows a systematic failure of the state to prevent the atrocity.
Critical questions remain about which specific agencies or individuals will be held accountable for the failures identified in the inquiry. The identities and full accounts of the eight other children and two adults seriously wounded in the attack have not been publicly disclosed. According to BBC News, Southport residents expressed dismay and frustration over the preventable nature of the attack, with some noting Rudakubana was also let down by services.