Merseyside Police have released a major update on the ongoing investigations into the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport last year.
Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison for the murders of seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, as well as the attempted murder of 10 others after his horrific rampage at the Hart Space on July 29 2024.
Following the sentencing of Rudakubana in January of this year, Merseyside Police confirmed there remained a live investigation into others who may have assisted or failed to stop his hideous crimes. Today, the force has confirmed that any others who were being investigated will not face any charges at this time.
The Liverpool Echo reports that in a statement, a spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: “During the course of the criminal investigation into the Southport murders, a number of lines of enquiry were pursued. Some of the aspects of the investigation allowed for consideration of charges against those who may have assisted Axel Rudakubana or failed to prevent his crimes.
“Post-trial, the force conducted a comprehensive review of all of the material available and considered it in the light of the case law and statutory offences that may have been applicable. As a result, it has been determined that no further charges will be brought at this stage.”
In the years leading up to the horror attack last summer, Rudakubana was reported to Prevent, a task force spearheaded by Counter Terror Policing, three times.
The first referral to Prevent came in 2019 when he was enrolled at The Acorns School in Ormskirk after his exclusion from Range High School in Formby.
He was permanently removed from the school after he told Childline he was taking a knife into school for what he claimed was his own protection. He later admitted to taking a knife onto the school premises on 10 separate occasions.
During his time at the special educational needs (SEN) school in West Lancashire, he was found to have displayed violent behaviour and openly discussed guns.
It was during these incidents the first referral was made. The second came when he was reported to have made posts on Instagram relating to Libya and Colonel Gaddafi. The third was a result of Rudakubana researching the 2017 London Bridge terror attack. In the 55-page report published at the beginning of last month, 14 recommendations were made to the service.
The government has confirmed that a full independent inquiry will begin this summer, which will examine any failures leading up to the Southport tragedy and look closely at what could have been done to prevent the attack.
Sir Adrian Fulford has been appointed as the chair of the inquiry, following consultation with the victims and families of those killed or affected by the attacks. The first phase will investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it.
This will include examining an overall timeline of Rudakubana’s history and interactions with various public bodies including criminal justice, education, social care, and healthcare, as well as decision-making and information-sharing by local services and agencies.
In the second phase, wider issues of children and young people being drawn into extreme violence will be examined. The chair intends to open the inquiry in the week commencing July 7, it is understood this is likely to be on July 8. This is planned to take place at Liverpool Town Hall, although is subject to change.