Southport Killer Rudakubana Moved to Broadmoor as Families' Lawyer Alleges 52-Year Sentence Manipulation
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 24
Southport Killer Rudakubana Moved to Broadmoor as Families' Lawyer Alleges 52-Year Sentence Manipulation
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 24
Summary
Broadmoor admitted Axel Rudakubana from HMP Belmarsh on Thursday, moving the 19-year-old Southport killer into a high-security psychiatric hospital days before the attack’s second anniversary.
Chris Walker, lawyer for the three bereaved families, said the transfer had “devastated” them and alleged Rudakubana was again trying to “manipulate the system,” with authorities providing only minimal detail.
The Ministry of Justice said the move was made under the Mental Health Act for prisoners whose mental disorders create risks in custody, and stressed it does not alter Rudakubana’s 52-year sentence.
Rudakubana was jailed in January 2025 for murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and for attempting to murder eight other children and two adults in the July 2024 attack.
The transfer follows earlier scrutiny of his mental health and prison behavior, including a May 2025 investigation after he allegedly attacked a prison officer with boiling water.