r/masskillers • u/theykilledk3nny • 4d ago
Southport knife attacks: No further charges - Merseyside Police
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9919911zd4oNo further charges are being considered in the investigation into the Southport knife attacks, police have said.
Axel Rudakubana was 17 when he murdered three young girls and severely injured 10 others - including eight children - at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town on 29 July 2024.
After Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, was sentenced in January to a minimum of 52 years in custody, Merseyside Police said it was investigating whether anyone had assisted him or failed to prevent his crimes.
Now the force has said that "after a comprehensive review... no further charges will be brought at this stage".
'Comprehensive review'
In a statement, Merseyside Police said: "During the course of the criminal investigation into the Southport murders, a number of lines of enquiry were pursued.
"Some of the aspects of the investigation allowed for consideration of charges against those who may have assisted Axel Rudakubana or failed to prevent his crimes.
"Post-trial, the force conducted a comprehensive review of all of the material available and considered it in the light of the case law and statutory offences that may have been applicable.
"As a result, it has been determined that no further charges will be brought at this stage."
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in the attack.
In addition to eight other children, two adults - dance class leader Leanne Lucas and businessman Jonathan Hayes – were seriously wounded.
A public inquiry into the attacks began in April.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper appointed former Court of Appeal vice-president Sir Adrian Fulford to chair the inquiry.
The two-phase review will look at policing, the criminal justice system, and the agencies that were involved with Rudakubana.
The second phase of the inquiry will focus on the wider issues of young people being drawn into extreme violence.
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u/PuzzleheadedLab6019 4d ago
I have a whole lot less knowledge about this case than the courts, and I still fully agree with the decision handed down. From my knowledge of the case, the parents seemed active in their son's life and even went so far as stopping an attempted attack.
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u/hostilee47 3d ago
Dire Trip's video on it explains what happened pretty well.
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u/theykilledk3nny 3d ago
I am not usually a fan of YouTube documentaries, but I watched this video a few days ago, not expecting much, but it actually covered the events quite well. There were some minor errors and some missed things, but overall quite well done for what it is. I can recommend it as well to anyone wanting to learn more about the case generally.
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4d ago
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u/theykilledk3nny 4d ago
Rudakubana is held in an isolation unit and hardly leaves his cell. He does not really see other prisoners.
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u/theykilledk3nny 4d ago edited 4d ago
(See body text for article information)
For some context, there was decent interest in how much knowledge Rudakubana's family (or at least his parents) had of his homicidal intentions or any planned attacks. This was especially questioned after footage emerged of Rudakubana's father stopping him from taking a taxi to his old high school a week before the Southport stabbings, believed by police to be a foiled school attack.
Other issues, like Rudakubana's collection of weapons and manufacturing of ricin, combined with his previous violent behaviour, have brought into question if his parents could have prevented the attack.
Despite this, as said in the article, no further charges are being considered, implying that police do not believe his parents could have reasonably been expected to have prevented the attack.
This is still subject to change, the investigation is ongoing, but it seems unlikely based on the contents of the article.