Axel Rudakubana, who murdered three young girls in Southport last year, has been moved out of prison and into Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, following an assessment by psychologists.
Rudakubana was transferred this week from Belmarsh, the category A prison in London, after officials concluded he could not be safely managed in an ordinary prison setting. As a patient at Broadmoor rather than a prisoner, he will now be held under a different legal and care regime, though the Ministry of Justice has confirmed he will remain in secure detention indefinitely and is not expected to ever be released.
Background to the Case
Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January 2025 after admitting to murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance class in Southport in July 2024. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults, along with producing the poison ricin and possessing material linked to al-Qaeda.
At the time of sentencing, prosecutors told the court there was no clear evidence of a mental health disorder that would have required him to be diverted to hospital rather than face trial. That has made this week's transfer especially contentious, as families of his victims are expected to argue it contradicts the earlier assessment that found him fit to stand trial.
Reaction From the Prison Service
The move has drawn a sharp response from the POA, the union representing prison and secure psychiatric staff. National chair Mark Fairhurst said members do not believe Rudakubana is genuinely unwell and instead accused him of manipulating the system to reach more comfortable surroundings, arguing he should serve his sentence in solitary confinement instead.
The transfer is also likely to raise costs to the taxpayer substantially. Whitehall sources say a place in a secure psychiatric hospital typically costs more than £300,000 a year, roughly five times the cost of a standard prison place.
Wider Context: Missed Warning Signs
The transfer comes as a separate public inquiry continues to examine the failures that allowed Rudakubana to carry out the attack. It has already emerged that he was under the care of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust's mental health services between 2019 and 2023, before disengaging from support in February 2023, roughly a year and a half before the killings.
Evidence given to the inquiry has also raised questions about how thoroughly his case was handled by clinicians. One psychiatrist who treated him told the inquiry he had not been aware that Rudakubana had previously been caught carrying a knife, despite this being recorded in his medical notes.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper ordered the independent inquiry to establish what opportunities were missed to identify the risk Rudakubana posed before the attack.