The families of three young girls murdered in the Southport attack have accused killer Axel Rudakubana of attempting to “manipulate the system” after he was transferred from prison to Broadmoor Hospital. The 19-year-old was moved from HMP Belmarsh to the high-security psychiatric hospital earlier this week after it was determined he could no longer be safely managed within the prison estate.
The transfer comes just days before the second anniversary of the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July 2024, in which Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered.
Families ‘Devastated’ by Transfer
Chris Walker, of law firm Bond Turner, which represents the families of the three girls, said they had only recently been informed of the move.
He said: “The three families we represent have been made aware of this development in the last 48 hours and it is safe to say that whilst this news would devastate them at any time, the fact that this has occurred as we approach the second anniversary in our view is another move by AR who would appear to be attempting, once again, to manipulate the system.
“We have been given the barest of details and whilst we are supporting the families through this we are urgently seeking a meeting with the appropriate authorities to understand the situation before commenting further.”
Ministry of Justice: ‘He Will Remain Locked Up’
The Ministry of Justice insisted Rudakubana will remain in secure custody and is unlikely ever to be released.
A spokesperson said: “The families of those murdered and injured in Southport will be in this country’s heart forever and our thoughts remain with them. “The offender who carried out these vile crimes will rightly spend the entirety of his 52-year custodial sentence locked up, and is unlikely to ever be released.
“High secure hospitals are not places of freedom. He will remain under constant supervision in a high-security psychiatric unit, and be returned to prison as soon aspossible.
“The transfer of an offender follows a robust independent clinical assessment.”
Jailed for Minimum of 52 Years
Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025, with a minimum term of 52 years, after admitting the murders of the three children. He also admitted the attempted murders of eight other children, dance instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes, who intervened during the attack.
In addition to the murders and attempted murders, he was convicted of producing the biological toxin ricin and possessing an al-Qaida training manual, contrary to the Terrorism Act.
Prison Officers Criticise Move
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, claimed Rudakubana had “played the system” by securing the transfer.
He said: “This vile offender has played the system and will now enjoy the freedoms that are afforded mentally unwell patients in secure psychiatric hospitals, including benefits that law-abiding taxpayers will fund. “My members will be placed at risk without the protections afforded to staff in prisons because he is now classed as a patient.
He should spend his entire sentence in a prison in solitary confinement. “My thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those affected by his heinous crimes.”
Government Insists Sentence Unchanged
Responding to concerns, Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary Sally Jameson said Rudakubana would return to prison once clinicians determined he could safely do so.
She said: “It’s not right, and I sincerely hope that he won’t be qualifying for benefits. “But what I think is important to note is he will not get time off his sentence, and he will be returned to jail as soon as possible.
“The high security hospitals, they’re not like ordinary hospitals. They are a prison hospital.
“He will be kept under very stringent conditions befitting actually to his crime, but also the level of security that needs to be put around him. “I am absolutely confident that he will be returned to prison as soon as possible and serve out his sentence, and I agree that should be under the most punitive and solitary conditions that is possible.”
Extensive History Before the Attack
The transfer follows an incident at HMP Belmarsh in May 2025, when Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer by throwing boiling water from a kettle. Evidence disclosed following the Southport murders revealed Rudakubana had extensive contact with mental health services before the killings.
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust confirmed he had been under its care between 2019 and 2023, before disengaging from treatment. He had first been referred after taking a knife to school and later telling staff he intended “to use it.” He was also referred to the Government’s Prevent counter-extremism programme on three separate occasions after researching school massacres, Colonel Gaddafi and the London Bridge terrorist attack online.
However, none of the referrals resulted in intervention because investigators concluded there was no identifiable ideological motivation behind his fascination with extreme violence.
Inquiry Continues
The public inquiry into the Southport murders has heard there was a “wholesale and general failure” by multiple agencies to prevent the attack. Inquiry chair Sir Adrian Fulford said Rudakubana’s actions were not an unforeseeable event, describing him as having a “known predilection for knife crime” and posing a “very serious and significant risk of violent harm.” The inquiry is continuing.
