Head of Southport attacker’s former school tells inquiry he was ‘building up to something’
The head teacher of the Southport attacker’s former school has told a public inquiry she felt like he was “building up to something”.
Joanne Hodson, head of The Acorns School in Ormskirk, said she had a “visceral sense of dread” that he would do something.
“I felt like something was going to happen and there was a level of agitation with direct challenges to staff, the way he was with other pupils. I felt like every day it was building and building and building,” she told the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall.
Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17, killed six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July last year.
He was later jailed for a minimum of 52 years.
Families of the victims with their legal team arrive at Liverpool Town Hall for the Southport Inquiry.
Pic: PA
Rudakubana, referred to during the public inquiry as AR, came to Ms Hodson’s school after he was permanently excluded from the Range High School, in Formby, due to taking knives to school in October 2019.
‘Devoid of any remorse’
Ms Hodson said she first met Rudakubana at his admissions meeting for the Acorns, when she asked him why he had taken a knife to his former school.
“He looked me in the eyes and said ‘to use it’. This is the only time in my career that a pupil has said this to me or behaved in a manner so devoid of any remorse,” she said.
“What also surprised me was that AR’s parents did not flinch at this comment.”
She said the parents saw Rudakubana “as the victim” and believed he had taken the knife to school as a response to being bullied.
His parents thought he was a “good boy” who never did anything wrong and that “any issues were someone else’s fault”, according to Ms Hodson.
Members of the public leave flowers at a memorial site for the victims of the Southport stabbings. File pic
Ms Hodson said she had feared Rudakubana was going to “bring something” to the Acorns.
Instead, he returned to the Range in December 2019 to assault another student with a hockey stick while carrying a knife in his bag.
‘Sinister undertone’
Ms Hodson described Rudakubana as the “most unusual” pupil she had experienced during her career, adding in a statement: “There was a sinister undertone and it was difficult to build rapport.
“He had no respect for authority and generally a lack of respect of other pupils and staff. He was insistent that his views alone were correct and everyone else was wrong. There was never any sense of remorse or accountability for his actions.”
In his education, health and care plan, it was noted there were concerns that Rudakubana said or did things which had been described as “sinister”, the inquiry heard.
More from the inquiry:
Rudakubana judged as posing no risk to others
His parents struggled to deal with outbursts
Taxi driver waited 50 minutes to call 999
The missed chances to stop Rudakubana
A three-minute silence was held in Town Hall Gardens, Southport, marking one year since the attack. File pic: PA
Ms Hodson said she was asking other agencies for help, but the word “sinister” was crossed out in the report and changed to “inappropriate” after professional views were submitted by the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS).
“I was challenged quite heavily and told no child should ever be described as sinister and as a professional I should not be using those words,” she said.
‘Let down’ by Prevent
Ms Hodson said school staff were concerned about Rudakubana attacking his peers and made three referrals about him to the government’s anti-terror programme Prevent.
The head teacher said staff felt “let down” after their third referral caused in the school’s relationship with Rudakubana and his father, but was not acted on by Prevent.
When Rudakubana made comments thought to be antisemitic in school in January 2022, teachers did not make another referral to Prevent, with Ms Hodson telling the inquiry: “On reflection, whilst I regret not submitting further Prevent referrals in 2022, I think by this point Acorns had lost faith that anything would be done.”
She said staff were concerned about Rudakubana being radicalised, but “he was so socially isolated that I could not conceive of the idea that he might attack a group of strangers, let alone young children”.
“The tragic events are so far removed from what I would have associated AR with in terms of risk,” Ms Hodson said.
The inquiry was adjourned until Monday.
UK
Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline
Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.
US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.
When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”
He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.
Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.
Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.
Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here
But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.
Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.
“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.
“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”
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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways
It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.
He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.
A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.
Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.
Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.
There were no other reported injuries.
Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.
“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.
“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”
Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.
A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.
“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”
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Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.
Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.
Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.
The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.
People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.
The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.
The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.
“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”
Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.
Read more:
Christmas travel chaos expected
Dozens injured in passenger train collision
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.
“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.
The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.
Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”
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