12 key findings from damning review into failure to stop Southport killer

A damning study has lifted the lid connected aggregate failures to halt evil Southport slayer Axel Rudakubana.

The Prevent Learning Review recovered the teen should person been treated arsenic a terror threat agelong earlier the triple murder. It said helium posed a "sufficient risk" aft helium was referred to the counter-terrorism 3 times by disquieted schoolhouse staff.

It accuses officers of a "lack of nonrecreational curiosity" and warned that a mis-spelling of Rudakubana's sanction connected the Prevent database meant helium could person slipped done the net. The grim papers shows helium was fascinated by the Manchester Arena bombing, which claimed 22 guiltless lives, searched schoolhouse shootings connected a schoolhouse machine and talked astir stabbing people.

Rudakubana was arrested successful December 2019 for attacking a pupil astatine his erstwhile schoolhouse with a hockey instrumentality portion carrying a blade. The study says helium told constabulary helium "was intending to deed the unfortunate with the hockey instrumentality and decorativeness him disconnected with the knife".

Despite aggregate warnings astir the dangers helium posed, galore opportunities to halt him were missed. He murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, successful a convulsive weapon onslaught astatine a Taylor Swift-themed creation enactment connected July 29 past year.

Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent programme - which was acceptable up to halt would-be terrorists - 3 times betwixt December 2019 and April 2021, erstwhile helium was 13 and 14. The Home Secretary said determination person been "so galore signs" of however unsafe helium was - but enactment against him was "weak".

Last period Rudakubana was sentenced to astatine slightest 52 years down bars - but justice Mr Justice Julian Goose said helium is improbable to ever beryllium released.

Referral 1 - Carrying weapon and searching schoolhouse shootings

Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent 3 times by his schools arsenic a effect of his behaviour. The archetypal came from a teacher successful Decemember 2019. By this signifier helium had been excluded from his erstwhile school, Range High School, for carrying a weapon and searching for wide schoolhouse shootings connected a schoolhouse computer.

But conscionable implicit a period later, successful January 2020, the lawsuit was closed aft the teen explained his net searches. Before the referral helium said helium was a unfortunate of bullying and admitted to carrying a weapon astatine school.

Gun and drill unit fascination

When helium was archetypal referred to Prevent, Rudakubana was raising alarm for his involvement successful guns and comments astir convulsive videos. He was besides claimed to person talked astir drills sidesplitting people.

The study said: "He was conducting searches utilizing the school’s net connected schoolhouse shootings successful America, was talking astir drafting guns and searching connected the net for guns successful different lesson, was besides overheard talking to a pupil astir watching videos of radical hurting themselves and made a graphic remark astir a drill spot breaking and sidesplitting someone. It is not known if this peculiar involvement successful schoolhouse shooting, unit and wounded amounted to a fascination arsenic this involvement whitethorn not person been afloat explored and understood."

Knife and hockey instrumentality attack

In 2019 Rudakubana was arrested for battle and possession of a weapon and hockey stick. The study said helium told Merseyside Police "he was intending to deed the unfortunate with the hockey instrumentality and decorativeness him disconnected with the knife".

It further said helium was "not bothered by the prospects of prison". It happened successful aboriginal December 2019, erstwhile helium went to his erstwhile schoolhouse and assaulted a pupil, causing Actual Bodily Harm.

After being kicked retired of his school, the slayer was fixed a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) referral. This led to a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Said the Manchester Arena onslaught was a 'good thing'

The study said that successful 2019, alarm was raised implicit Rudakubana's fascination with the Manchester Arena boming.

It was claimed that helium stated the termination bombing was a "good thing". The reappraisal said that erstwhile helium was archetypal study determination were "a fig of factors contiguous to person concerns regarding (Rudakubana) and his imaginable vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism."

The Prevent reappraisal added that successful 2019 Rudakubana was besides reported by his schoolhouse aft helium was recovered to beryllium researching schoolhouse shootings.

It said: "The researching of schoolhouse shootings, talking astir stabbing people, stating the violent onslaught connected the ‘MEN’ was a bully thing, whitethorn person shown a existent involvement successful terrorism.

"‘MEN’ astir apt refers to the Manchester Arena onslaught successful 2017, Manchester arena was known arsenic the ‘MEN’ Arena betwixt 1998 and 2011."

'Severed head' remark

The study said that successful December 2019 Rudakubana had questioned during an creation acquisition wherefore helium was capable to gully images of guns.

It said helium past asked "can we person a representation of a severed caput then".

Referral 2 - Alarming societal media posts

A 2nd referral was received from a unit subordinate astatine Acorns School connected February 1, 2021. It was reported that a pupil had showed them societal media posts suggesting helium was being radicalised.

However this lawsuit was besides closed conscionable implicit a fortnight later. The study said respective steps could person been taken but were missed, including getting a database of net searches from his school, speaking to the pupil who raised the concerns - meaning investigators could presumption the posts, which were not public.

The study concluded: "This referral was closed without the level of nonrecreational curiosity expected bearing successful caput this was a 2nd referral."

Spelling mistakes could person meant slayer was missed

The damning study besides recovered that Rudakubana's sanction was mis-spelled connected the Prevent database - meaning erstwhile referrals could person been missed.

Southport MP Patrick Hurley told MPs: "Some of the details successful this reappraisal beggar belief." The study pointed to mistakes successful the Prevent signaling system, known arsenic PCMT. This whitethorn person meant the archetypal referral was not recovered the 2nd clip Rudakubana was reported by his school.

It stated: "As the supervisor was incapable to find the erstwhile referral connected PCMT this whitethorn person caused the lawsuit to beryllium closed rapidly connected minimal information. This whitethorn beryllium owed to the 2nd referral being created connected a caller subject/individual entity owed to the misspelling of AMR’s surname."

Referral 3 - Searching accusation astir London bombings and IRA

A 3rd referral was received from his teacher connected April 26, 2021. Prevent officers were told helium had been spotted with net tabs unfastened during a acquisition showing a hunt for London Bomb and seemed to person a "passionate interest" successful Israel/Palestine conflict, MI5 and the IRA.

He had besides commented connected societal media posts relating to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi - but officials said "it does not suggest helium holds immoderate extremist ideology". Despite the 2 erstwhile referrals being noted, it was concluded that Rudakubana's needs "were presently met extracurricular of Prevent". The lawsuit was closed connected May 10, 2021.

Behaviour dismissed arsenic autism

The reappraisal said immoderate of Rudakubana's behaviour was dismissed arsenic being linked to "Austistic behaviour traits".

It said: "The PGA did not grounds that (Rudakubana) had a grievance adjacent though determination is grounds helium had grievances against his chap pupils, his teachers, and his household (and bearing successful caput helium was searching for wide schoolhouse attacks connected the internet).

"Some of these were explained arsenic portion of his Autistic behaviour traits by the CTCO - this whitethorn good beryllium the lawsuit but they are inactive applicable to his vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism.

"The determination to adjacent the referral astatine this constituent is questionable, bearing successful caput the convulsive enactment already committed, the static vulnerabilities of AMR, his imaginable involvement with wide killings and different net searches. The static vulnerabilities of AMR and ideology are entwined and should beryllium considered unneurotic erstwhile making decisions. There is grounds successful the notes that these 2 issues were considered separately."

Dismissed due to the fact that of 'no wide ideology'

The study recovered the slayer whitethorn not person been referred to Channel due to the fact that helium was not intelligibly driven by 1 unsafe ideology.

This was a mistake, it says. The study states: "There whitethorn person been an over-emphasis connected the beingness of ideology to the detriment of considering AMR’s susceptibility."

And it continues: "This accent connected ideology tin beryllium contiguous and cautious information needs to beryllium fixed to referrals and cases wherever individuals are highly susceptible / easy influenced but deficiency a defined ideology."

Reviewers said that radical whose motivations are "unclear, mixed oregon unstable", should beryllium fixed "the aforesaid information for enactment arsenic those whose concerning ideological motivations are much accordant and obvious".

Multiple referrals could person made a difference

Investigators recovered the information Rudakubana was referred respective times and not escalated, this could person influenced aboriginal decisions.

It said determination whitethorn person been a "consistency successful thinking". The study states: "The quality of aggregate (3) referrals for the aforesaid idiosyncratic implicit a 17-month period, each with imaginable contented that could beryllium seen arsenic Prevent applicable and precocious levels of susceptibility should person warranted accrued scrutiny.

"As a effect of the determination not to notation to Channel, each consequent referrals were perchance viewed similarly. [There was a consistency successful reasoning throughout]."

Lack of consistency successful reports to Prevent

The study raised concerns astir the prime of accusation being passed to Prevent officers. It called for standardisation of what is handed implicit by constabulary Fixed Intelligence Management Units (FIMU), arsenic these whitethorn beryllium a origin successful whether a lawsuit is escalated.

It recommended that a standardised sharing of accusation merchandise beryllium considered for nationalist usage by each FIMUs.