Evidence given by Axel Rudakubana’s parents at the Southport public inquiry, which got underway in April, will be examined by Merseyside Police, the force has confirmed
The parents of the Southport killer could still face criminal charges, it has emerged.
Police have confirmed they are assessing the testimony Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire gave to the public inquiry last week. They spent two days in the witness box at the hearing at at Liverpool Town Hall, during which time Mr Rudakubana, 50, conceded he “regretted not telling police” about his son Axel’s previous disturbing behaviour.
Merseyside Police now intend to “obtain full transcripts” of the testimonies, a decision welcomed by the solicitor representing the parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were murdered in July last year. They say they feel “confident” charges will follow.
Mr Rudakubana admitted on oath he and his wife knew their “monster” son had amassed an arsenal of knives and other weapons and was planning on carrying out an attack on his old school one week before he went on the rampage in Southport, Merseyside. The couple, though, failed to alert police or any other agency.
READ MORE: Southport victims’ outraged families slam ‘shameful excuses’ of killer’s parentsREAD MORE: Southport killer told dad ‘it may take days or years… trust me I will kill you’
After the couple gave evidence, the girls’ families demanded the killer’s parents be held accountable for allowing “such evil to exist under their roof”. They said they felt “complete disdain” for their “excuses” at the inquiry into the atrocity.
And now Merseyside Constabulary have finally played their hand. A spokesperson said: “We will obtain full transcripts from the inquiry and assess whether new information was provided that wasn’t known.”
Giving evidence, Mr Rudakubana had said: “I regret not telling police because if I had, what happened on 29th July, wouldn’t have happened.” He referred to the previous pattern of behaviour his son exhibited, including the plan to carry out an attack on his old school.
After this, Elsie’s mother and father, Jenni and David Stancombe, told journalists: “They knew how dangerous he was, yet they stayed silent. They didn’t report their concerns, they didn’t act, and in doing so, they failed not only as parents but as members of our society.”
Merseyside Police did confirm consideration was being given to charges against “those who may have assisted Axel Rudakubana or failed to prevent his crimes”. This was after Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January.
But six months later, in June, a spokesman said it had been determined that “no further charges” would be brought because the evidence gathered did not pass the “police threshold” of criminality. This, though, has changed, following the new information heard at Liverpool Town Hall, reports the Daily Mail.
The spokesman added that previously “a file wasn’t submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service because the evidence held at that time didn’t pass the police threshold meaning there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction for any offence”.
Chris Walker, a solicitor with law firm Bond Turner, who represents the families of Elsie, Bebe and Alice, said: “We wish to express our full support for any reopening or re-examination of the evidence in relation to the conduct of AR’s (Axel Rudakubana’s) parents.
“Any further inquiry into the behaviour in question is unequivocally supported by all of our clients. We are confident that a criminal investigation will conclude that an offence has been committed.”
Mr Rudakubana, whose parents and three sisters were murdered in the Rwandan civil war, had admitted to the inquiry he was “ashamed” that he had allowed his son to be repeatedly violent towards him in the years preceding the attack. Neither he or his wife restricted their son’s access to the Internet, leaving him free to look up inappropriate videos and images of war, genocide and gory injuries online.
And the warped youngster became reclusive and started to neglect his own personal hygiene in the months and weeks before the attack.
