Too much focus on Southport killer’s ‘absence of ideology’, minister says

A reappraisal into the handling of the Southport kid slayer nether the Government’s counter-terrorism programme Prevent has concluded “too overmuch absorption was placed connected the lack of a chiseled ideology”, information curate Dan Jarvis has said.

As the findings were published, Mr Jarvis told MPs determination was an “under-exploration” of the value of Axel Rudakubana’s repetition referrals, including his past of violence.

Mr Jarvis said: “The reappraisal concluded that excessively overmuch absorption was placed connected the lack of a chiseled ideology, to the detriment of considering the perpetrator’s susceptibility, grievances and analyzable needs.

“The wide decision of the reappraisal is that helium should person been lawsuit managed done the transmission multi-agency process, alternatively than closed to Prevent. This would person enabled to co-ordinated multi-agency hazard absorption and support.”

The 18-year-old was fixed a beingness condemnation with a minimum word of 52 years – 1 of the highest minimum presumption connected grounds – for murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, astatine a Taylor Swift-themed creation people successful Southport connected July 29 past year.

He besides attempted to execution 8 different children, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, arsenic good arsenic people teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Three abstracted referrals were made to Prevent astir Rudakubana’s behaviour successful the years earlier the attack, arsenic good arsenic six abstracted calls to police.

The teen attacked a pupil with a hockey stick, utilized schoolhouse computers to look up the London Bridge panic outrage and carried a weapon connected a autobus and into people earlier helium carried retired the Southport murders.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had announced a nationalist enquiry volition beryllium held to look astatine immoderate “missed opportunities” to place Rudakubana’s murderous intent and she ordered a “thorough review” of the Prevent referrals.

Prevent learning reviews are commissioned jointly by the Home Office and Counter-Terrorism Policing erstwhile a violent onslaught oregon superior convulsive offence is committed by idiosyncratic who had erstwhile engagement successful the programme.