A father prevented what could have been Britain’s first high school massacre just one week before his son went on to kill three young girls at a dance class in Southport, it emerged today.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, had booked a taxi to take him to the school he was expelled from on July 22, wearing a green hooded sweatshirt and surgical mask.
His father ran out after him and pleaded with the taxi driver not to make the 15-mile journey from their home in Banks, Lancashire.
There is no suggestion his father knew what his son was planning at the school.
A father prevented what could have been Britain’s first high school massacre just one week before his son went on to kill three young girls at a dance class in Southport, it emerged today
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Rudakubana had a troubled history at Range High School in Formby, which he left around 2019 to attend a specialist school.
Aged 13, he brought a knife to the school premises, leading to his suspension.
He later returned with a hockey stick hidden in his backpack and attacked pupils before being restrained by a teacher.
In another incident, pupils filmed him attempting to attack a teacher during a lesson, requiring three classmates to restrain him.
Teachers at his subsequent specialist school within Sefton borough were concerned about his behaviour and violence towards others.
The teenager, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, had been unwilling to leave his house or communicate with his family for a period before the attacks.
Rudakubana today pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
The teenager admitted killing Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in the attack at The Hart Space on July 29.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to murder eight other children and two adults, including dance instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
In addition, Rudakubana admitted charges of producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing information likely to be useful for terrorism – a document titled “Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual.”
On the day of the killings, Rudakubana wore the identical outfit he had chosen for his thwarted school attack – a green hooded sweatshirt and surgical mask.
He left his home at 11.10am and booked a taxi to the dance workshop. This time, his parents were unaware of his movements and there was no one to stop him.
Within half an hour, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were dead, with nine more children and two adults fighting for their lives.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in hospital early the next morning.
The charges included three murders, 10 attempted murders and possession of a knife.
He also admitted producing ricin, a deadly poison that was found during searches of his family home in Old School Close, Banks.
During the hearing, Rudakubana remained seated in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit and surgical mask, responding only with the word “guilty” as each charge was read.
Sir Keir Starmer has since announced that Britain will “rightly demand answers” over how the state “failed” to protect the three young girls murdered in the Southport attack and the Government will leave “no stone unturned in that pursuit”.
