On July 29, 2024, a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport became the scene of an unimaginable tragedy. Three young girls—Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven—were stabbed to death by Axel Rudakubana, then just 17 years old. The attack, which also left eight other children and two adults seriously injured, shocked the nation and prompted a far-reaching public inquiry, the details of which have come to light in recent days.
The inquiry, held at Liverpool Town Hall and widely covered by outlets such as Sky News, BBC, and The Sun, has revealed a troubling pattern: repeated warnings about Rudakubana’s behavior and risk to others were systematically diluted or removed from his official care plan. These omissions, made during key meetings with his parents and school officials, have raised urgent questions about the processes meant to safeguard vulnerable children—and those around them.
According to Sky News, Rudakubana’s education, health, and care plan (EHCP)—a document designed to support children with special educational needs—originally contained blunt warnings. A note dated May 6, 2021, stated that he “does not like perceived injustice.” This was later softened to read: “Axel has a good sense of right and wrong, but requires support to work through scenarios where an injustice may have occurred.” Similarly, a March 2020 report from The Acorns School describing him as “unable to let go of any form of perceived injustice” was deleted entirely. Other characterizations, such as “sinister, inappropriate” behavior and being “cold and calculating,” were also removed from the record.
As The Sun reported, one deleted remark even stated, “Axel is unable to let go of any real or perceived injustice and his father believes that if Axel is respected by others then there will be no difficulties but if something is said to him then he will react.” These edits, shown to the inquiry, took place between 2020 and 2021, just years before Rudakubana’s violent outburst.
Why were these warnings scrubbed? The inquiry heard that these changes followed discussions with Rudakubana’s parents. When the school attempted to remove him from the roll due to chronic absenteeism—his attendance at Presfield High School was a mere 0.7%—his family objected, saying it would affect their entitlement to benefits. In fact, as Sky News detailed, his father suggested leaving Axel on the school roll but giving the place to someone else to avoid financial repercussions.
Presfield High School, a specialist school for children with autism, accepted Rudakubana as a pupil in March 2022 after he spent two years at The Acorns’ temporary pupil referral unit. Staff at Presfield were aware he had been excluded from Range High School in Formby for bringing a knife to class, but they did not access his full records, including details about his previous violent incidents. Lucy McLoughlin, then deputy head teacher at Presfield, admitted to the inquiry, “We were not knowingly aware of any risks posed by Rudakubana, and were looking at him through the lens of a vulnerable child. This view was wrong, as I accept that professional curiosity was narrowed.”
During his time at Presfield, attempts were made to engage Rudakubana. Staff tried inviting him in to play basketball or have pizza, and when his father said the classroom was too busy, Axel was taught one-to-one. He also received specialist input from a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist, who played chess with him to build trust. Despite these efforts, his attendance remained abysmally low, and staff struggled to make meaningful contact.
Repeated home visits were made to Rudakubana’s residence in Banks, Lancashire, but staff were frequently turned away by his mother, Laetitia Muzayire. “AR’s mother would say ‘not today’ and push us away from that,” Ms. McLoughlin told the inquiry, as reported by BBC. “Sometimes there was no answer at the door. One time I managed to get into the lounge and AR refused to come down and refused to be seen. There was no way to see him.” When asked if reasons were given for the refusals, she said, “Sometimes he was sleeping, sometimes he just did not want to see us.”
In May 2022, a particularly alarming incident occurred. James Berry, Rudakubana’s form tutor, attempted a home visit and was warned by Axel’s father, Alphonse Rudakubana, that the teenager “may become violent and may attack Mr. Berry if AR was forced to see him,” according to Ms. McLoughlin’s testimony. Following this warning, staff visits were only conducted with the accompaniment of a Merseyside Police safer schools officer.
Despite these red flags, the full extent of Rudakubana’s violent history was never included in his EHCP. He had been permanently excluded from Range High School in 2019 after admitting to carrying knives and had later assaulted another pupil with a hockey stick. Ms. McLoughlin told the inquiry, “Children there are extremely vulnerable; if we had that information we would not have been able to meet AR’s needs.”
The inquiry also heard from Kate Dixon of the Department for Education, who was asked whether anything had been done to ensure that crucial information about risk is not inappropriately edited out of EHCPs. She responded, “There are other parts of the process and system where that risk should be written down and transferred.” Yet, as this tragic case demonstrates, those safeguards may have failed in practice.
On January 2025, Rudakubana was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 52 years after admitting to the murders and the attempted murders of eight other children and two adults. The inquiry into how this catastrophe unfolded continues, with families, educators, and policymakers all searching for answers—and accountability.
As the hearings progress, the case of Axel Rudakubana stands as a somber reminder of the critical importance of honest, unfiltered communication between families, schools, and authorities. When warnings are ignored or erased, the consequences can be devastating, rippling far beyond individual lives to shake entire communities.
