Families grieving the loss of children in the devastating Southport attack have voiced their strong support for a fresh investigation into the conduct of the killer's parents. This comes as police confirmed they are examining evidence presented during the recent public inquiry.
Police Assessment of New Evidence
A Merseyside Police spokeswoman confirmed the force will obtain full transcripts from the Southport Inquiry to assess if any previously unknown information was provided. She explained that a file had not previously been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) because the evidence did not meet the required police threshold, meaning there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence.
Families Call for Accountability
Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire, the parents of 19-year-old attacker Axel Rudakubana, gave evidence to the inquiry in early November. Both parents apologised to the bereaved families during the hearings held at Liverpool Town Hall. Their son murdered seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, 2024. He also attempted to murder ten other people.
Chris Walker, a solicitor from Bond Turner representing the families of the three girls, stated: "On behalf of the three bereaved families, we wish to express our full support for any reopening or re-examination of the evidence in relation to the conduct of AR's parents. Any further inquiry into the behaviour in question is unequivocally supported by all of our clients. We are confident that a criminal investigation will conclude that an offence has been committed."
Revelations from the Inquiry
The inquiry heard startling details about the period leading up to the murders. A week before the attack, Mr Rudakubana stopped his son from getting into a taxi because he believed his son was going to carry out an attack at his former school. In a message to his wife that day, he wrote: "Our child needs to be protected. Imagine how those things have faded away and he could have been killed or imprisoned for good/for life."
Mr Rudakubana also accepted that he was aware his son had access to a "small arsenal of weapons" within their home, which included a bow and arrow and a knife. He expressed regret for not contacting the police after accepting delivery of a machete his son had ordered in June 2023.
In her testimony, Ms Muzayire told the inquiry: "There are many things that Alphonse and I wish we had done differently, anything that might have prevented the horrific event of July 29 2024. (For) our failure, we are profoundly sorry. We pray every day for the children and their families, and for God's comfort to surround them."
It is important to note that the Attorney General provided an undertaking to the inquiry, meaning evidence given by witnesses cannot be used directly in their own prosecution.
Following the parents' evidence, the bereaved families have intensified their calls for accountability. The parents of Elsie Stancombe, Jenni and David, said: "Parents should be culpable when they knowingly allow such evil to exist unchecked under their own roof, when they know what their child is capable of and choose to do nothing."
