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| Southport killer Axel Rudakubana admitted carrying a knife more than 10 times | |
| (21 days later) | |
| Axel Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday | Axel Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday |
| Southport killer Axel Rudakubana admitted carrying a knife more than 10 times but was still able to buy a blade on Amazon, the home secretary has said. | Southport killer Axel Rudakubana admitted carrying a knife more than 10 times but was still able to buy a blade on Amazon, the home secretary has said. |
| Yvette Cooper said public bodies "completely failed to identify the terrible danger that he posed" as his obsession with extreme violence developed in the years before the attack. | Yvette Cooper said public bodies "completely failed to identify the terrible danger that he posed" as his obsession with extreme violence developed in the years before the attack. |
| On Monday, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murder of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, last July. He will be sentenced on Thursday. | On Monday, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murder of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, last July. He will be sentenced on Thursday. |
| Earlier, the prime minister warned of a "new and dangerous threat" from violence-obsessed individuals. A public inquiry into missed opportunities to stop Rudakubana has been announced. | Earlier, the prime minister warned of a "new and dangerous threat" from violence-obsessed individuals. A public inquiry into missed opportunities to stop Rudakubana has been announced. |
| Cooper told the Commons it was a "total disgrace" that he was "easily able to order a knife on Amazon" at the age of 17 despite having a prior conviction for a violent offence against another child at school. | Cooper told the Commons it was a "total disgrace" that he was "easily able to order a knife on Amazon" at the age of 17 despite having a prior conviction for a violent offence against another child at school. |
| An Amazon spokesperson said the company had "launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case". | An Amazon spokesperson said the company had "launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case". |
| The home secretary also said there would be a "thorough review" of the anti-extremism programme Prevent, after it emerged that Rudakubana was referred to it on three separate occasions between 2019 and 2021. | The home secretary also said there would be a "thorough review" of the anti-extremism programme Prevent, after it emerged that Rudakubana was referred to it on three separate occasions between 2019 and 2021. |
| An initial review over the summer found Prevent failed to flag Rudakubana as a serious threat because he did not exhibit a commitment to a single radical ideology, Cooper told the Commons. | An initial review over the summer found Prevent failed to flag Rudakubana as a serious threat because he did not exhibit a commitment to a single radical ideology, Cooper told the Commons. |
| She said the three referrals took place after he expressed an interest in school shootings, the 2017 London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and the Middle East. | She said the three referrals took place after he expressed an interest in school shootings, the 2017 London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and the Middle East. |
| "Too much weight was placed on the absence of ideology," Cooper said, in light of the fact Rudakubana was "obsessed with massacre or extreme violence". | "Too much weight was placed on the absence of ideology," Cooper said, in light of the fact Rudakubana was "obsessed with massacre or extreme violence". |
| Cooper said it was "unbearable to think that something more could and should have been done" to stop him, and that "action against him was much too weak". | Cooper said it was "unbearable to think that something more could and should have been done" to stop him, and that "action against him was much too weak". |
| Red flags | Red flags |
| The home secretary said a public inquiry would be given all the powers it needed to assess whether red flags were missed. Areas of interest are likely to include: | The home secretary said a public inquiry would be given all the powers it needed to assess whether red flags were missed. Areas of interest are likely to include: |
| The five occasions Lancashire Constabulary officers responded to calls from Rudakubana's home address between October 2019 and May 2022, relating to concerns about his behaviour | The five occasions Lancashire Constabulary officers responded to calls from Rudakubana's home address between October 2019 and May 2022, relating to concerns about his behaviour |
| Repeated referrals to safeguarding services, children's social care and adolescent mental health services | Repeated referrals to safeguarding services, children's social care and adolescent mental health services |
| A referral to the youth offending team after Rudakubana's conviction for a violent offence | A referral to the youth offending team after Rudakubana's conviction for a violent offence |
| Concerns passed on to the local authority by Childline following calls by Rudakubana as a teen, including one where he disclosed he planned to take a knife to school because of racial bullying | Concerns passed on to the local authority by Childline following calls by Rudakubana as a teen, including one where he disclosed he planned to take a knife to school because of racial bullying |
| His exclusion and non-attendance at school | His exclusion and non-attendance at school |
| "There are grave questions about how this network of agencies failed to identify and act on the risks," Cooper said. | "There are grave questions about how this network of agencies failed to identify and act on the risks," Cooper said. |
| Speaking in Downing Street earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer said failings by public bodies in the lead-up to the Southport murders "leap off the page". | Speaking in Downing Street earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer said failings by public bodies in the lead-up to the Southport murders "leap off the page". |
| He said that it was "clearly wrong" Rudakubana was deemed not to meet the threshold for intervention from the Prevent programme, and warned of the rising risk posed by "loners, misfits" radicalised online unconnected from formal extremist groups. | He said that it was "clearly wrong" Rudakubana was deemed not to meet the threshold for intervention from the Prevent programme, and warned of the rising risk posed by "loners, misfits" radicalised online unconnected from formal extremist groups. |
| On Monday, Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual - a terror offence. | On Monday, Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual - a terror offence. |
| However, police have never treated his case as terror-related as he did not appear to follow a single ideology. Cooper said terror laws would be reassessed in light of this. | However, police have never treated his case as terror-related as he did not appear to follow a single ideology. Cooper said terror laws would be reassessed in light of this. |
| The circumstances around Rudakubana's offending have led to wider scrutiny over what the government has described as an increasing threat from young people with an interest in extreme violence. | The circumstances around Rudakubana's offending have led to wider scrutiny over what the government has described as an increasing threat from young people with an interest in extreme violence. |
| Cooper told the Commons that 162 people were referred to Prevent last year over concerns related to school massacres, amid what she described as a "wider challenge of rising youth violence and extremism". | Cooper told the Commons that 162 people were referred to Prevent last year over concerns related to school massacres, amid what she described as a "wider challenge of rising youth violence and extremism". |
| The number of children investigated for involvement with terrorism has increased threefold in three years, she added. | The number of children investigated for involvement with terrorism has increased threefold in three years, she added. |
| The government said tech companies must remove the type of extreme material Rudakubana had accessed online. | The government said tech companies must remove the type of extreme material Rudakubana had accessed online. |
| They "should not be profiting" from hosting content that "puts children's lives at risk", Cooper said. | They "should not be profiting" from hosting content that "puts children's lives at risk", Cooper said. |
| Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguia all lost their lives in the attack | Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguia all lost their lives in the attack |
| Opposition parties have put pressure on the government over what information was released to the public about offences Rudakubana was being investigated over prior to his guilty pleas. | Opposition parties have put pressure on the government over what information was released to the public about offences Rudakubana was being investigated over prior to his guilty pleas. |
| On Tuesday, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said "we need to know who in government knew what and when". | On Tuesday, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said "we need to know who in government knew what and when". |
| But Cooper said there was a risk Rudakubana could have "walked away a free man" if the government had released information that prejudiced his ability to have a fair trial under UK law. | But Cooper said there was a risk Rudakubana could have "walked away a free man" if the government had released information that prejudiced his ability to have a fair trial under UK law. |
| However, the home secretary acknowledged the spread of misinformation on social media "puts those long established rules under strain" and said contempt of court laws were being reviewed by the Law Commission. | However, the home secretary acknowledged the spread of misinformation on social media "puts those long established rules under strain" and said contempt of court laws were being reviewed by the Law Commission. |
| Misinformation about the Rudakubana's identity spread in the aftermath of the Southport attack, fuelling violent disorder. | Misinformation about the Rudakubana's identity spread in the aftermath of the Southport attack, fuelling violent disorder. |
| Posts falsely claiming Rudakubana - who was born in Cardiff - was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat were shared widely online. | Posts falsely claiming Rudakubana - who was born in Cardiff - was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat were shared widely online. |
| More than 1,000 people have been arrested over the subsequent riots and hundreds have been charged and jailed. | More than 1,000 people have been arrested over the subsequent riots and hundreds have been charged and jailed. |
| Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, admitted three counts of murder and the attempted murders of eight other children and two adults. | Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, admitted three counts of murder and the attempted murders of eight other children and two adults. |
| He also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the date of the attack, production of a biological toxin - namely, ricin - and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism. | He also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the date of the attack, production of a biological toxin - namely, ricin - and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism. |