Southport attacker’s father warned teacher he may become violent

The father of the Southport attacker warned a teacher who attempted to visit him at home that the teenager may become violent if forced to see him, a public inquiry has heard.

Lucy McLoughlin, headteacher of specialist autistic school Presfield High, told the Southport Inquiry on Monday that Axel Rudakubana was transferred to the school from a pupil referral unit in March 2022 but had an attendance record of 0.7%.

He was removed from the school’s roll in June 2024 and the following month, on July 29, the then 17-year-old murdered Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, in a knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Ms McLoughlin told the inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, that during his time at the school a number of members of staff visited his home but were not allowed to see Rudakubana, referred to during the inquiry as AR .

She confirmed in May 2022 his form tutor, James Berry, carried out a home visit and was given a “warning” by his father, Alphonse Rudakubana.

David Temkin KC, representing families of children who survived the attack, asked Ms McLoughlin: “Was that warning that AR may become violent and may attack Mr Berry if AR was forced to see him?”

She replied: “Yes.”

She said the warning was reported to the school’s safeguarding lead and following that staff were accompanied by a Merseyside Police safer schools officer when they attended.

Ms McLoughlin said she had carried out a number of visits to the home, in Banks, Lancashire, but had been told she could not see Rudakubana by his mother, Laetitia Muzayire.

“AR’s mother would say ‘not today’ and push us away from that,” she said.

“Sometimes there was no answer at the door.

“One time I managed to get in to the lounge and AR refused to come down and refused to be seen. There was no way to see him.”

Asked if a reason was given for the refusals, Ms McLoughlin said “Sometimes he was sleeping, sometimes he just did not want to see us.”

She said the school tried different ways to engage Rudakubana when he first joined.

She said: “He came in and played basketball with his form tutor to get a feel of the building, to build those positive relationships.

“He’d come in when it was his favourite lunch, so he’d come in and have pizza.

“When AR’s father said the classroom was too busy, we then took him out of the classroom and he was taught one to one.”

She said he also had specialist input from a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist, who played chess with him to try and build a relationship.

The inquiry has heard Rudakubana was permanently excluded from Range High School in Formby in 2019 after he admitted carrying knives.

He later returned to the school, again carrying a knife, and assaulted another pupil with a hockey stick.

Ms McLoughlin said full details of his history, in particular his intent to stab someone, were not included in his education, health and care plan (EHCP), and if they had been the school would not have accepted him.

She said: “Children there are extremely vulnerable, if we had that information we would not have been able to meet AR’s needs.”

The inquiry continues.