Southport Killer’s Parents Could Face Charges After Inquiry Reveals Missed Warnings Before Dance Class Massacre
By George Daniel
Published: 06:32, 12 November 2025
Merseyside Police are re-examining evidence from the Southport killings inquiry amid growing calls for Axel Rudakubana’s parents to be held criminally responsible for their role in the tragedy that left three young girls dead.
The force confirmed it will obtain full inquiry transcripts from last week’s hearings, during which Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire spent two days answering questions about what they knew before their son’s knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024.
Police said they are assessing whether new evidence emerged at the inquiry that was not available during the original criminal investigation. The review could lead to a fresh case file being considered for referral to the Crown Prosecution Service.
A solicitor representing the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, said they are “confident new criminal charges will follow” after the inquiry shed light on the couple’s inaction.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered in the Southport attack by Axel Rudakubana, who was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years.
Inquiry evidence under renewed scrutiny
In testimony given under oath, Mr Rudakubana said he and his wife were aware that their son had collected weapons and was planning to attack his former school. He admitted he regretted not contacting police, saying, “If I had told them, what happened on 29 July would not have happened.”
The couple, who survived the Rwandan genocide before resettling in the UK, said fear and confusion stopped them from alerting authorities. They told the inquiry they were “ashamed” and “naïve” about the risks posed by their son.
Axel Rudakubana, a former stage-school student once featured in a BBC appeal, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court in January 2025 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years.
Police confirm ongoing legal review
Merseyside Police said they are reviewing whether the parents’ testimony alters their assessment of potential offences under the Serious Crime Act 2007 or common-law offences such as perverting the course of justice.
A spokesperson confirmed: “We will obtain full transcripts from the inquiry and assess whether any new information was provided that wasn’t previously known.”
The force noted that, when the original investigation concluded, “the evidence available at that time did not meet the threshold for a realistic prospect of conviction.”
Political and public reaction
The renewed scrutiny has prompted calls for transparency from local representatives and campaigners, who say the Southport killings inquiry marks “a critical test of safeguarding systems across the country.”
Parents’ groups and child-protection charities said the case raises wider questions about parental accountability in violent-crime prevention. On social media, calls surged for legislation introducing a legal duty to report imminent threats, similar to the mandatory-reporting laws used in some European jurisdictions.
Legal commentators have suggested that a reopened investigation could test the boundaries of parental liability under UK criminal law, particularly where families knowingly conceal violent behaviour.
Legal context: When can parents be prosecuted?
Under British law, criminal responsibility for failing to act generally arises only when a person has a specific duty of care and knows a serious crime is imminent. Prosecutors can consider several offences:
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Encouraging or assisting a crime under the Serious Crime Act 2007
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Perverting the course of justice by concealing evidence or preventing arrest
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Failure to disclose information about terrorism or violent offences, covered by the Terrorism Act 2000
Legal experts note that while there is no general duty to inform police, courts may interpret deliberate silence in the face of clear danger as “criminally reckless.”
Inquiry’s next phase
The Southport killings inquiry, chaired by Sir Adrian Fulford, will now move to its reporting stage. Its final findings are expected in early 2026 and will likely address how schools, local authorities and the Rudakubana family interacted before the attack.
Officials have not ruled out that its conclusions could trigger further disciplinary or criminal investigations.
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