Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana moved to secure psychiatric hospital

Axel Rudakubana, convicted of murdering three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, has been moved from HMP Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed the transfer, stating it followed an independent clinical assessment under the Mental Health Act and rigorous security checks.

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The families of those murdered and injured in Southport will be in this country's heart forever and our thoughts remain with them.

Rudakubana murdered seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar in July 2024. He also injured eight other children and two adults during the attack. In January 2025, he was sentenced to 52 years in prison. However, the judge could not impose a whole life order because Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the offense, meaning he will likely never be released.

The MoJ spokesperson stated that the transfer does not alter Rudakubana's sentence, which remains 52 years, and that he will serve every day of it. The transfer ensures he will remain in the high-security psychiatric unit until deemed fit to return to prison. The cost of care at Broadmoor is significantly higher than in a standard prison, with secure hospital beds costing approximately £270,000 annually compared to £97,740 for a prisoner in Belmarsh.

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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.

Broadmoor, one of the UK's oldest high-security hospitals, underwent renovations in 2017, replacing older cells with more spacious rooms. Rudakubana, now 19, was previously investigated in May 2025 for allegedly attacking a prison officer with boiling water. Evidence presented at the Southport Public Inquiry highlighted his past mental health issues, including a "lack of empathy" combined with a "fascination with violence" and neurodiversity, described by a senior clinician as a "really toxic mix."

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This transfer does not change his sentence – which remains at 52 years – and of which he will serve every single day.