WHAT HAPPENED: An official inquiry into the stabbing spree targeting young girls in Southport, England, by Axel Rudakubana has found that he was assessed as posing no risk to others in a mental health evaluation by Britain’s socialized National Health Service (NHS) just six days before his attack.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: Axel Rudakubana, Alder Hey Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) case manager Kathryn Morris, clinical lead Dr. Vicky Killen, psychiatrists Dr. Lakshmi Ramasubramanian and Dr. Anthony Molyneux, counsel Nicholas Moss KC, and Rudakubana’s victims.
WHEN & WHERE: Risk assessment and discharge on July 23, 2024, at Alder Hey CAMHS; attack on July 29, 2024, in Southport; inquiry testimony on October 20, 2025, at Liverpool Town Hall.
KEY QUOTE: “There would appear to be repeated occurrences of the family appearing to, shall we say, stage manage the presentation of information provided to professionals.” – Dr Anthony Molyneux.
IMPACT: Revelations expose critical lapses in mental health oversight and information sharing, fueling calls for systemic reforms in child services to prevent future tragedies amid Rudakubana’s history of violence and manipulation.
A public inquiry has revealed serious failings by Britain’s socialized National Health Service (NHS) just days before Axel Rudakubana, carried out a deadly knife attack that killed three young girls and injured several others in Southport, England. The then-17-year-old was discharged by Alder Hey Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) on July 23, 2024, following a risk assessment that incorrectly concluded he posed no threat to others. This decision was made despite records noting incidents of aggression, including verbal threats toward his father—an African asylum seeker—and smashing a phone during a call.
Only six days later, on July 29, Rudakubana stormed a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop and fatally stabbed three girls: seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. He also attempted to kill ten other children and wounded two adults. The attack shocked the nation and led to widespread anti-mass migration demonstrations and riots, which prompted a draconian crackdown by the British authorities.
At Monday’s hearing at Liverpool Town Hall, Nicholas Moss KC confronted CAMHS clinical lead Dr Vicky Killen, who admitted the determination that Rudakubana was not dangerous was unacceptable. “There was risk on the record and it should have been recorded,” she said, conceding the assessment fell “very far” short of expected standards.
Other medical professionals also raised concerns about Rudakubana’s history. Psychiatrist Dr Lakshmi Ramasubramanian recounted a troubling phone consultation in 2021, where she said Rudakubana described symptoms “as if he had rehearsed it from a book” to obtain medication. She described his behaviour as “demanding, argumentative,” and said he tried to “manipulate” the situation. She eventually stopped treatment after his migrant father acted in an “intimidating” and “disrespectful” manner, something she said had never happened in her career.
Dr Anthony Molyneux, who began treating Rudakubana in July 2022, assessed him as a “minimal” risk. He knew of a school knife incident but was unaware of more serious events, including a 2019 assault on a pupil with a hockey stick and online searches for terrorism-related content. Molyneux said full record reviews were “impossible” saying, “There would appear to be repeated occurrences of the family appearing to, shall we say, stage manage the presentation of information provided to professionals.”
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