The 15 missed opportunities to stop Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana as ex-staffer slams 'incompetence'
The Prime Minister has ordered a public inquiry into the state's failure to prevent the murders of three young girls, but he will face serious questions over why he didn't inform the public about Axel Rudakubana's terror links sooner
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Axel Rudakubana stabbed to death three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class last summer in an appalling act of violence that shocked the nation.
Equally as shocking were the missed opportunities to stop the Southport killer, who had been referred to Prevent - the government's anti-extremism programme - several times and had contact with police, the courts, the justice system and mental health services.
Speaking to GB News, former staffer Charlotte Littlewood blames Prevent's systemic failures on a "bureaucratic, tick box" culture and "incompetence", adding: "We've had a review of Prevent and the recommendations haven't been implemented."
Her indictment comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced that there would be a public inquiry into the state's failure to prevent the murders committed by Rudakubana and that "we will review our entire counter-extremist system to make sure we have what we need to defeat it".
The Prime Minister also defended his actions after admitting that he was "kept up to date with the facts as they were emerging", adding: “It was not my personal decision to withhold this information, any more than it was a journalist’s personal decision not to print or write about it.
“That is the law of the land and it is in place for the reasons I’ve set out to protect the integrity of the system to ensure that the victims and their families get the justice they deserve.”
With many questions hanging over who knew what, we look at the 15 missed opportunities to stop Rudakubana before he carried out the murders of three young girls on July 29, 2024.
Social isolation
Rudakubana was flagged to a range of services in 2019 after experiencing increasing anxiety and social isolation.
Prevent referral
That same year, Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent programme after teachers raised concerns over his obsession with school massacres.
He used computers at the school he attended at the time to search for material on school massacres, it is understood.
School expulsion
In October 2019, Rudakubana was permanently excluded from the Range High School in Formby after he was caught with a blade in the classroom.
He was sent to a pupil referral unit in Lancashire.
Hockey stick attack
Two months later, he returned to the school with a hockey stick and a “hit list” of students he wanted to attack. He attacked a child with
Pupils were locked in their classrooms during the incident before Rudakubana was reportedly tackled to the ground by the headmaster.
Youth justice referral
He receives a youth justice referral order for the assault – a measure where juveniles who plead guilty to their first offence are placed under supervision to try to stop them reoffending – and completes this in 2021.
Second Prevent referral
Rudakubana was referred to Prevent two more times in April 2017 after it was discovered he had been showing an unhealthy interest in terrorism, including the jihadist attacks of 2017 and incel-related violence.
Police involvement
From October 2019 to May 2022, police were called to his family home five times over concerns about his behaviour.
This put him on the radar of children’s social care at Lancashire County Council.
After an initial assessment, they decided social work support was not required.
He was referred instead to Early Help - a service that works with children and young people from birth up until they are 18 and their families where there are emerging needs or difficulties.
Online activity
Rudakubana spent hours researching extreme violence online, including downloading an al-Qaida textbook in 2021.
Despite this, there was no intervention to monitor or restrict his online activities. It is not clear what, if anything, these agencies knew about his troubling internet use.
Amazon
Despite his conviction of violence, Rudakubana was able to order the knife he killed the three young girls with from Amazon. He was 17 at the time.
“That’s a total disgrace, and it must change,” Yvette Cooper told the Commons, vowing to bring in tougher measures to tackle the sale of knives online this year.
The sale of most knives and weapons to individuals under the age of 18 is indeed illegal in many jurisdictions, including the UK.
Amazon has implemented measures to comply with these laws by requiring age verification for knife purchases. These measures typically include checking the buyer's date of birth, name, and address.
Rudakubana used security software to hide his identity when he bought knives from Amazon. He as admitted carrying a knife 10 times before his deadly attacks.
Amazon has said: “We take our responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items — including bladed products — extremely seriously and have launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case. We use trusted ID verification services to check name, date of birth and address details whenever an order is placed for these bladed items. The product in question was subject to age-verification checks on delivery.”
Ricin acquisition
He also ordered ingredients to produce ricin, a deadly poison, from Amazon in 2022. This significant escalation in dangerous behaviour went unnoticed by authorities.
Autism diagnosis
After being diagnosed with autism, efforts to reintegrate him into education were unsuccessful, and his needs were not adequately met.
Last August it was revealed he had been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".
Mental health services
As part of a safeguarding referral, a case was opened with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which is part of the NHS.
Rudakubana stopped engaging with mental health services in February 2023 and continued to spiral.
Family concerns ignored
His family expressed concerns about his behaviour, but these were not effectively acted upon by the relevant agencies.
Attempted school visit
Rudakubana was stopped by his father from taking a taxi to his former school a week before he murdered the three young girls in Southport.
Detectives believe it is no coincidence that the school was due to break up for the summer holidays 10 minutes later.
After an argument between Rudakubana and his dad ensued, the teenager got out of the car and went inside his home.
Concerning online activity again
Minutes before he carried out his attack, he searched social media site X for information about a mass stabbing at a church in Sydney in 2024.
