The father of Axel Rudakubana, the perpetrator of a tragic mass stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, revealed during the Southport inquiry that he chose not to report all of his son’s violent episodes to mental health services out of fear that his son would be taken away from him.
Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 years old at the time, carried out the stabbing on July 29, 2024, targeting women and girls, resulting in the deaths of three young victims. Despite being aware of his son’s autism, Mr. Rudakubana admitted to withholding information about Axel’s violent tendencies from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), stating that he didn’t want to list every negative behavior exhibited by his son.
Nicholas Moss KC, the counsel to the inquiry, highlighted Mr. Rudakubana’s response to his son’s violent behavior, noting that he became accustomed to being physically assaulted by Axel whenever he tried to impose discipline. Mr. Rudakubana expressed regret over his passive approach, feeling unsure of how to handle the situation.
During questioning, Mr. Rudakubana acknowledged his fear of losing custody of his son, emphasizing Axel’s autism and triggers for anger. He described the outbursts as unpredictable and influenced by conflicting opinions during conversations, occurring as frequently as twice a day.
In a separate testimony, Axel’s brother Dion disclosed that their father had cautioned him to be cautious around Axel shortly before the tragic incident, indicating an unusual level of fear in their household.
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