Southport attacker’s father called him ‘good boy’ after school knife incident

The father of the Southport attacker described him as a “good boy” who knew “what he was doing was wrong” after he admitted taking a knife to school to stab someone, a public inquiry has heard.

Headteacher of the Range High School in Formby Michael McGarry told the Southport Inquiry on Wednesday that Axel Rudakubana was permanently excluded in October 2019 after he told Childline he had been carrying a knife into school.

On July 29 last year, Rudakubana, then 17, murdered Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, in an attack on a dance class in Southport.

Mr McGarry said Rudakubana, referred to during the inquiry as AR, had good attendance at school in his first two years but confirmed there was a “marked and rapid escalation” in his behaviour in October 2019.

The inquiry heard that on October 7 that year, Rudakubana and another boy were sent home from school after a fight in an English class.

Mr McGarry said that evening he was told police had been in touch with the school to report Rudakubana had admitted bringing a knife in.

He subsequently learnt Rudakubana had said it was to “stab someone because he was tired of being pushed around”.

He said the decision was made to permanently exclude the student, but his parents were able to appeal to a governing board meeting.

The inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, heard ahead of that meeting that Rudakubana’s father Alphonse emailed PC Alexander McNamee, the Lancashire Constabulary officer who had been to the family home.

In the email, Mr Rudakubana said: “Axel knew that what he was doing was wrong but he also knew that the school was relaxed about fighting, intimidation – a really gang culture among students in the school.

“One must be terrified to carry a weapon knowing that it is extremely dangerous.

“However, he deserves credit to have reported himself to carry a knife and with it a second chance to stay at the school if he wishes to.

“He is a good boy. I know him.”

He also described a “bullying culture” at the school.

Mr McGarry, who began working at the school in September 2019, said he did not recognise that characterisation and that no one had been found with a knife in the school since Rudakubana.

The inquiry heard on December 11 2019 that Rudakubana returned to the school and was able to “tailgate” someone into the building.

Mr McGarry said he had been giving an assembly in the hall when he saw Rudakubana, who ran off “very quickly”.

The headteacher said he followed the teenager down the corridor and was a few yards behind him when he saw a group of students coming towards them.

“That was the point where he produced this hockey stick out from underneath the puffa jacket he had on,” he said.

“He raised the hockey stick back as if he was going to swipe it towards these students. It hit another student.”

Mr McGarry said he grabbed Rudakubana in a “bear hug” and another colleague arrived and took the hockey stick from him.

He said they took Rudakubana into his office where he said “very little” but made “some utterances” about looking for the boy who he blamed for his exclusion and wanting to kill him.

He said police were called and found a knife when they searched his bag.

He told the inquiry: “He didn’t feel very concerned about it. There was no sense of shock. I remember being very shocked at what I had seen.”

Mr McGarry said Axel’s father then arrived after being called to the school.

“When he came in he sort of looked at the boy,” he said.

“He said his name and was kind of ‘what have you done’ and there wasn’t really any reaction from AR.”

He said when police explained where Rudakubana would be taken to, his father became “quite argumentative” and said it wasn’t convenient for him to be taken there.

He said: “I remember saying to dad ‘do you realise the seriousness of what your son has done today’, to himself but also to the school community here at Range.

“I didn’t really get any reaction whatsoever. He just kept on arguing with the police.”

The inquiry was adjourned until Thursday, when there is due to be more evidence from teaching staff.