Damning new declare emerges on how Axel Rudakubana was in a position to kill three younger in tragic Southport assault
A Home Office review has uncovered serious failings in the counter-terrorism police’s handling of Axel Rudakubana.
Despite multiple referrals to the government’s counterterrorism programme, Prevent, Rudakubana’s growing obsession with mass violence was not appropriately addressed, a redacted report into the case reveals.
Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to the brutal killings of Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, in a knife attack described as ‘pure evil.’
Eight other children and two adults were also injured. This week he was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years.
The Prevent scheme, part of the UK’s counterterrorism strategy, aims to stop people from being drawn into terrorism.
The Home Office review, due to be published in a redacted form, has found that counterterrorism officers did not properly assess Rudakubana’s escalating interest in extreme violence.
Despite a history of troubling behaviour, including carrying a knife to school and attacking a fellow pupil, he was repeatedly referred to the Prevent programme between 2019 and 2021, but each time officers concluded he posed no threat.
The Prevent programme, which is run locally by police and authorities, first received concerns about Rudakubana’s behaviour in 2019.

Authorities may have missed several attempts to stop Rudakubana before he murdered three children and attempted to murder eight other youngsters and two adults in Blackpool last summer when he was aged just 17

A prison van containing Rudakubana arriving at Liverpool Crown Court for his sentencing
Teachers at The Range High School in Formby reported that he had shown an unusual interest in school shootings and mass violence, including disturbing news articles about attacks in the US.
But counterterrorism officers dismissed the warning, believing it was merely an odd interest in current affairs rather than an indicator of radicalisation.
Last year 162 people were referred to Prevent for concerns about their interest in school massacres, according to the Home Office.
A source familiar with the review told the Sunday Times: ‘He was constantly trying to speak to his teachers about world events.
‘He was looking at news articles about mass shootings during IT class and trying to speak to his teacher about it. It was odd behaviour for a child so young.
‘The counterterrorism officers decided he had an interest in news and current affairs, but was not in danger of being radicalised.’
Despite the fact that officers had received information about his interests in the London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and the Middle East, Radakubana’s case was closed by Prevent officers in 2019.

Axel Rudakubana, pictured during an earlier hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, is being sentenced today


Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was among the three little girls killed in the attack in Southport

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was one of the three children killed in the knife attack in Southport
They decided that while he had vulnerabilities, these were being addressed by other services, such as social care and mental health professionals.
The case was not referred to Channel, the next stage of the Prevent programme, which would have provided him with a mentor to intervene and steer him away from extremism.
The situation worsened in December 2019, when Rudakubana attacked a schoolmate with a hockey stick, breaking the boy’s wrist.
Police discovered a knife in his bag, but despite this alarming escalation, the Prevent programme still failed to act decisively.
Further referrals were made in 2021, but each time, Rudakubana’s obsession with violent events was downplayed.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has acknowledged concerns about the current state of the Prevent programme.
She recently stated that a review of referral thresholds, particularly for individuals obsessed with school massacres, was underway.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has acknowledged concerns about the current state of the Prevent programme
In 2023, a significant increase in referrals related to mass shootings and extremist material online was reported, with many referrals involving young people whose ideologies were unclear but who showed a dangerous fixation on violence.
Cooper also highlighted that interventions should not be delayed for individuals suspected of being neurodiverse, like Rudakubana, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
She criticised delays in responses to such cases, warning that failing to intervene could allow dangerous ideologies to take root.
One of Rudakubana’s former classmates described him as socially isolated, with no friends, and a tendency to avoid interactions with girls.
‘He didn’t fit in. Nobody wanted to play with him at break time,’ they said.
Prevent’s failure to act is not an isolated case. Rudakubana’s case follows other high-profile instances where individuals involved with the programme later carried out violent acts, including the 2020 Reading stabbing and the murder of MP Sir David Amess in 2021.
Critics argue that Prevent’s failure to properly assess such cases points to systemic issues within the programme.
The Home Office, while acknowledging that improvements have been made to Prevent since Rudakubana’s referrals, admitted that ‘opportunities were missed to intervene’ in his case.
Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, also expressed concern over the rise of young people being drawn into online extremism, warning that too many cases are slipping through the net.
Prevent officials insist that changes have been made since Rudakubana’s case, with new training and stronger policies for repeat referrals.
However, the review highlights the ongoing challenge of dealing with young people fixated on violence but without a clear ideological agenda.
The Home Office has confirmed that a full public inquiry into Rudakubana’s case is underway, as officials seek to understand what went wrong and ensure that similar failures are not repeated.
The National Crime Agency has been approached for comment.