Southport killer Axel Rudakubana moved to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital

Axel Rudakubana, the convicted killer of three children and attacker of eight others, has been transferred from Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital. The move occurred earlier this week after psychologists determined he could not be safely managed within a prison environment. Sources confirmed the transfer, which places him in a facility where patients receive treatment rather than being held as prisoners.

Despite the change in location, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson assured that Rudakubana will remain securely locked up and is unlikely ever to be released. This decision is anticipated to cause anger among the families of his victims, who will likely question the assessment given his conviction and upcoming trial date in January 2025. The transfer also brings a substantial increase in costs, with secure hospital units costing upwards of £300,000 per patient annually, significantly more than the approximately £60,000 per prisoner.

Rudakubana, 19, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years for the "sadistic" murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, during an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29, 2024. He also attacked eight other children, an instructor, and a man who attempted to disarm him. He was additionally found guilty of producing the toxin ricin and possessing an al-Qaida training manual.

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He is not mentally unwell. He is playing the system and is nothing more than evil. He should spend his entire sentence in solitary confinement staring at four walls.

Rudakubana had a history of mental health concerns, having been under the care of Alder Hey children’s NHS foundation trust between 2019 and 2023. He was referred after bringing a knife to school and later researching school massacres. He was also referred to the UK's counter-extremism program, Prevent, on multiple occasions, though no clear ideology was identified behind his obsession with violence. In May 2025, he attacked a prison officer with boiling water at Belmarsh, prompting an internal inquiry.

Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the POA union, expressed strong disapproval of the move, suggesting Rudakubana is "playing the system" to gain a more comfortable environment. He stated, "He is not mentally unwell. He is playing the system and is nothing more than evil." Fairhurst criticized the perceived freedoms Rudakubana will now have and the taxpayer-funded benefits he will receive, emphasizing that POA members will be the ones to manage him.

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It is appalling to think that he will now enjoy all the freedoms a secure hospital is forced to give him and even more unjustified is the taxpayer actually paying him benefits because he is now classed as mentally unwell.