Journalism of Courage
The father of Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana told the inquiry into the 2024 tragedy that his failure to confront his son’s violent behaviour and monitor his activities had “catastrophic consequences, for which I am desperately sorry.”
Speaking via video link to the inquiry at Liverpool town hall, Alphonse Rudakubana said he had been “very scared” of his son and avoided confrontation, which meant he did not check the teenager’s internet use. Axel, who later stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club, had been stockpiling weapons and searching online for violent material.
“The combination of fear and the desire to avoid confrontation by not inquiring into his activities undoubtedly prevented me from doing things that would be expected of a parent,” Alphonse said in a written statement as per The Guardian. “This had catastrophic consequences, for which I am desperately sorry.”
He accepted “his share of the responsibility” for the attack but also accused schools of unfairly targeting his son and making “malicious” referrals to the PREVENT counter-terrorism scheme. PREVENT is the UK government’s multi-agency programme to stop individuals from becoming terrorists.
The inquiry heard that moments before the 17-year-old left home to carry out the attack, his parents and older brother found knife packaging, but they did not alert police. Days earlier, Alphonse had prevented his son from returning to his former school, where he is believed to have planned another attack, The Guardian report said.
Axel’s brother, Dion Rudakubana, said he was “surprised” to see his brother leave home alone for the first time in over two years and initially feared violence. But his parents dismissed the concern, thinking Axel had gone for a walk.
By 2024, Axel’s behaviour at home had become “very frightening,” Alphonse said. He recalled an incident where Axel poured oil over his head and threatened to kill him. “I had lost control of him. I had no authority as a father,” he told the inquiry.
The teenager had a long history of violent behaviour, previously excluded from school for carrying knives and caught by police in 2022 with a blade on a bus, where he told officers he wanted to kill someone.
His brother Dion told the inquiry that Axel had been amassing parcels in the house that he feared contained weapons. “I was worried the parcels had something bad in them,” he said, but admitted he never reported his concerns.
Detectives have not established a motive for the July 2024 attack, in which Axel murdered three young girls and injured ten others. Police have ruled out terrorism.
The inquiry continues.
