Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Brother Tells Southport Inquiry He Feared Axel Rudakubana Would Kill a Family Member

Testimony intensifies scrutiny of safeguarding decisions that officials now admit were mishandled.

Overview

  • In December 2022 messages shown to the inquiry, Dion Rudakubana warned of a 'potentially fatal' risk at home, saying knives were hidden and police had been called during violent episodes.
  • He said his brother’s empathy had 'diminished' and compared him to the sociopathic killer in No Country for Old Men, with outbursts worsening after a 2019 school expulsion for bringing knives.
  • Dion testified that his father told him to be careful days before the 2024 attack, which he felt was a 'threat to life', and he was told of a taxi incident involving Axel, though he was unsure when it occurred.
  • Lancashire County Council acknowledged failures, including downgraded referrals and a missed chance to convene a multi‑agency risk assessment after a March 2022 knife incident, and issued an apology.
  • The inquiry has also examined Axel’s online activity, hearing X’s justification for not removing a stabbing video he viewed minutes before leaving home on the day of the killings.