Gary Poland, the private hire driver who unwittingly transported Axel Rudakubana to the Hart Space studio on July 29, 2024, has had his taxi licence revoked by Sefton Council. Poland waited approximately 50 minutes before dialling 999 after dropping off the teenager, who went on to stab 13 people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party, killing three young girls.
Dashcam footage reveals delay
Footage from Poland's dashboard camera, played at a public inquiry into the attack, showed him driving away as screaming children fled the building. Despite witnessing six- and seven-year-olds stampeding for their lives within 30 seconds of the attack beginning, Poland did not call emergency services immediately. Instead, he drove off, contacted a friend, collected another passenger, and spoke with his wife before finally calling 999 upon arriving home.
The victims were Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured. The inquiry concluded that the murders could and should have been prevented if multiple agencies had taken steps to stop Rudakubana, who was known to mental health, social care, and counter-extremism bodies before the attack.
Driver's explanation and regret
Poland told the inquiry via video link that he believed he heard four or five gunshots, leading him to think a shooting was occurring. He stated he went into panic mode. In a statement, he said: 'I regret not helping the children, their screams were harrowing and I can still hear them when I think back to that day.'
Rudakubana had left the taxi without paying after calling for a lift under a fake name. Poland followed the teenager to demand payment but was ignored.
Licence revocation and council standards
Sefton Council's taxi licence conditions require drivers to call 999 if they believe a child or young person is in serious danger of immediate harm. The council revoked Poland's licence because he did not meet the appropriate standards. All taxi licensing hearings are held in private, and the exact reason for revocation is not made public.
Government response to inquiry findings
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the government accepts all recommendations from the first phase of the inquiry. Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford identified a fundamental failure by any organisation or multi-agency arrangement to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to his attack. Mahmood stated: 'These devastating failures led to the senseless killing of three young girls and violent attacks on others. My thoughts today are first and foremost with the families and friends of Bebe, Elsie and Alice and all the victims of that awful day. We owe it to them to right these wrongs.'
