Lawyer for Southport victims' families questions killer Axel Rudakubana's transfer to psychiatric hospital

A lawyer for the families of the children murdered by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has said his transfer from prison to a psychiatric hospital may be an attempt to "manipulate the system".

Rudakubana, 19, was given a life sentence for the murder of three children - Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7 - and attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.

On Thursday, he was moved from HMP Belmarsh to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.

Prisoners who are considered to present a risk to staff, inmates or themselves because of mental disorders can be moved to hospital under the Mental Health Act.

Next Wednesday marks two years since Rudakubana carried out the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.

Lawyer Chris Walker, who represents the three bereaved families, said they "don't believe the merits" of the transfer on the basis of a mental health issue and is calling for more information from ministers.

"In my mind this is a new event, this is something which occurred whilst he was at prison, and we at this stage don't believe the merits of it in terms of him because I've seen no evidence at all until today which suggests he has a significant mental health disorder," Walker told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He added: "We do have an evil person but being evil does not mean that you're suffering with psychosis of some sort.

"We need to know is this a single event, is this a recurring event, is this him playing the system and we need those answers."

The Prison Officers' Association told the BBC that Rudakubana was transferred due to a deterioration in his mental health.

Walker added in a separate statement that the news would "devastate" the families at any time but "the fact that this has occurred as we approach the second anniversary in our view is another move by AR who would appear to be attempting, once again, to manipulate the system".

He continued: "We have been given the barest of details and whilst we are supporting the families through this we are urgently seeking a meeting with the appropriate authorities to understand the situation before commenting further."

A lawyer for the families of the attack's survivors said they did not want to give "notoriety" to Rudakubana and that attention should be focused on supporting the children around the anniversary.

Nicola Ryan-Donnelly of Fletchers Solicitors said: "The focus of public outrage should not be on moves that this perpetrator has made, it should be examining how we are two years on from this attack and some of these girls are still not receiving the proper psychological care and support that they should be to recover from this."

Prior to Rudakubana's sentencing last year, his defence lawyer told the court no psychiatric evidence could suggest a mental disorder contributed to his actions.

The court also heard how Rudakubana presented as having high functioning autism and did not have any associated learning disabilities.

Stan Reiz KC added that his client had appeared to have been a "normal child" until he reached 13, adding: "However, he did make a transition from a normal, well-disciplined child to someone who was capable of committing acts of such shocking and senseless violence."

Rudakubana was deemed mentally fit to be detained, interviewed and stand trial. His late guilty plea meant his mental health was not discussed in detail in court during a trial.

He was given a 52-year prison sentence in January 2025 but the judge was unable to impose a whole life order due to Rudakubana being 17 when he carried out the attack. He will likely never be released.

Handing down the judgement, Justice Julian Goose said: "Many who have heard the evidence might describe what he did as evil, who could dispute it? On any view, it was at least the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime."

He added: "I am sure that Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to carry out these offences, and that had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child, all 26 of them, as well as any adults who got in his way."

The Southport Public Inquiry has heard evidence about Rudakubana's past interactions with mental health services throughout his life.

He was under the care of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust from 2019 until he stopped engaging with its mental health service in 2023.

The inquiry heard from a senior clinician that his "lack of empathy" combined with a "fascination with violence" and neurodiversity added up to a "really toxic mix".

The teenager had also been referred to the government's counter-terrorism scheme Prevent three times - but there was no evidence he held a fixed ideology or motivation.

Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford said there had been a "fundamental failure" by any organisation to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to his attack.

The inquiry also found there were "strong indications", though not conclusive evidence, that prior to the attack Rudakubana had researched "mental health explanations and defences that might be available to him following a criminal prosecution".

Under the Mental Health Act, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is likely to have had no choice but to accept doctors' recommendations about whether Rudakubana could be held safely in prison.

The law requires he be transferred back to prison when he no longer requires treatment in hospital. His sentence is not being converted into a "hospital order", which would mean he stayed at Broadmoor.

In May 2025, Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer with boiling water. An investigation is ongoing.

Confirming the transfer on Thursday, the MoJ said the families of those murdered and injured would be in the country's heart forever and "our thoughts remain with them" and said it does not change Rudakubana's sentence.

A statement continued: "Any decision to transfer an offender is made following an independent, clinical assessment, under the Mental Health Act.

"Following rigorous security checks, the offender has been transferred to a high-security psychiatric unit, where he will remain until assessed fit to return to prison."