Southport killer was under NHS mental health team

Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana was under the care of an NHS mental health service for almost four years before he “ceased to engage”, a hospital trust has said.

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that he was in their care between 2019 and 2023.

Rudacubana, who was 17 at the time of the attack, was jailed for 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Babe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguirre, nine.

A spokesperson for the Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said it “welcomed an independent public inquiry” into the failures to identify the risk posed by the teenager.

Rudakubana, from banks in West Lancashire, stopped connecting to the service in February 2023, despite continued offers of support, the statement said.

The spokesperson said: “Following the horrific incident last July, we are participating fully in the child safeguarding practice review launched by the Children Safeguarding Partnership, to see if any lessons can be learned “

The Trust said it would “welcome the announcement of an independent public inquiry and will fully cooperate and support that process”.

“We are not in a position to provide any further details that could potentially prejudice that investigation and will not be commenting further at this time,” he said.

The trust said its thoughts are with the families of Alice, Babe and Elsie and everyone affected by the events of July 29.

Rudakubana was on Thursday Sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison Three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempt to murder, one count of producing biological toxin ricin and one count of possessing Al Qaeda training manual, offenses under the Terrorism Act.

Axel Rudakubana was first referred to mental health services at Alder Hey after taking a knife to Range High School in Formby and later said he had done it “to get used to it”.

He was also referred to the anti-extremism program Prevent because he was researching school massacres on the computer at his next school, The Acorn.

There were two other referrals to Prevent, but neither of them led to progress because Rudakubana had no clear ideology behind his obsession with violence.

Lancashire Police also had several interactions with Rudakubana, including an occasion in March 2022 when he was found with a knife on a bus.

His mother was also warned to keep knives safe in her home.

There have also been calls for an investigation into the Southport murders Supported by the families of the three people killed in ReadingBerkshire.

In June 2020, Khairi Saadallah stabbed three people to death in Forbury Gardens, Reading.

The families of James Furlong, David Wells and Jo Ritchie-Bennett said they fear lessons have not been learned and are demanding more government action.

Both Saadallah and Rudakubana were referred to the government’s counter-insurgency prevention program.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that there would be a public inquiry into missed opportunities to stop Rudakubana.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the inquiry would be given all the powers necessary to assess whether red flags were missed.

The BBC has contacted the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.