Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the Southport murders, was racially profiled by his headteacher, according to sources close to the case. The killer, who targeted three young girls in a horrific attack, had a history of behavioural issues linked to racial bullying at Range High School in Formby, Merseyside.
In October 2019, Rudakubana, then 13, contacted the NSPCC's Childline, confessing to murderous thoughts about a bully and admitting he had taken a kitchen knife to school on ten occasions. His barrister, Stan Reiz KC, described this as a 'plea for help'. Within days, he was permanently expelled from mainstream education.
Following his expulsion, Rudakubana attended a pupil referral unit and two specialist providers, where his obsession with violence grew. In 2020, during a lockdown, he downloaded an al-Qaida training manual and later produced the poison ricin in his bedroom. He was referred to the Prevent anti-radicalisation programme three times, but each case was closed without further action.
The headteacher of Range High School stated that Rudakubana had 'no sense of the wrongness' of his actions after he attacked a pupil with a hockey stick in December 2019. Police found a knife in his backpack, leading to his arrest and a criminal record at age 13.
Rudakubana's case has raised questions about how multiple agencies, including schools and counter-terrorism officials, failed to intervene despite clear warning signs. The judge described his crimes as 'one of the most shocking atrocities in recent UK history'.
