Axel Rudakubana, the teenager convicted of murdering three children in Southport, is now facing the prospect of spending his entire 52-year minimum sentence in solitary confinement, according to a former fellow inmate.
Life in Isolation After Prison Guard Attack
The 19-year-old, who is serving a life term, has already been segregated within the high-security HMP Belmarsh in south-east London. This move followed an alleged incident in May where he is said to have thrown boiling water at a prison officer through a cell hatch. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the attack.
Rudakubana has been in custody for less than a year but is being kept apart from the general prison population for his own safety, as well as the safety of staff and other inmates. A source who served time with him told The Sun the teenager is "shown no mercy" and is at risk daily from those who despise him for his crimes.
The Crimes That Shocked a Nation
Rudakubana was handed a minimum term of 52 years last year for the horrific knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July. He murdered six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.
This sentence is the longest ever given to someone of his age in the UK, and experts believe he is unlikely ever to be released. He will be at least 70 years old before he is first considered for parole.
A Grim Existence Behind Bars
The former inmate described Rudakubana's current existence as bleak. He is reportedly held in the prison's Contingency Suite, with a guard stationed outside his door around the clock and checks every 30 minutes. Access is severely restricted, with only the governor and one specific officer holding a key.
"He will have nothing to help him pass the time," the source said, adding that after assaulting an officer, Rudakubana is deemed highly dangerous and receives no privileges. The inmate claimed Rudakubana was "living like a tramp," neglecting personal hygiene, losing weight, and allegedly hoarding sleeping pills in what was interpreted as a potential plan for suicide.
In a separate development, Merseyside Police confirmed that the testimony given by Rudakubana's parents to a public inquiry is still being assessed, and they could yet face criminal charges. Alphonse Rudakubana admitted under oath that he and his wife knew their son had stockpiled weapons and was planning an attack on his old school a week before the Southport rampage. The couple, Rwandan genocide survivors granted asylum in the UK, failed to alert any authorities.
