Three months after the Southport attack in July, suspect Axel Rudakubana has been charged with two new fresh offences. With his trial set to go ahead in January, there has been much comment in Westminster as to when the authorities were first informed.
To try and make sense of the case, Steerpike has laid out a timeline of events – from the day of the horrific attack up until the latest charges were announced.
Monday 29 July: Around noon, reports emerged that a knifeman had entered a Southport dance class and attacked the children present. Tragically three young girls are killed, with others injured before Merseyside Police detain the attacker. The Prime Minister writes on Twitter that he is appalled at the: ‘Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport’ adding ‘I am being kept updated as the situation develops.’
Thursday 1 August: 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana is charged in connection with the attack. He appears at Liverpool Crown Court, facing three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder following the killings. Following the Southport riots, Keir Starmer holds a press conference. He insists that ‘while there’s a prosecution that must not be prejudiced, for them to receive the justice that they deserve, the time for answering questions is not now’.
Merseyside Police release a statement saying ‘This incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.’
Saturday 3 August: The director of public prosecutions in England and Wales, Stephen Parkinson, said he was ‘willing’ to look at charging some rioters with terrorism offences – adding he was aware of ‘at least one instance where that is happening’.
Friday 25 October: Axel Rudakubana is due in Liverpool Crown Court for a pre-trial preparation hearing but his trial is not listed, with no official explanation given.
Tuesday 29 October: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announces that Rudakubana will be charged with two further offences after police found the biological toxin Ricin and a PDF document entitled ‘Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The al-Qaeda training manual’ at his address. In a statement the CPS says: ‘The two further offences relate to evidence obtained by Merseyside Police during searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address, as part of the lengthy and complex investigation that followed the events of 29 July 2024.’
Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside police, said the killings of the three girls were not being treated as a terrorist incident and that no evidence pointing to a terrorist motive had been discovered.
The Telegraph suggests that government law officers would have known about the new charges in the past few weeks as they would have had to consent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charging Rudakubana with the ricin offence under the Biological Weapons Act of 1974.
The CPS does not say when such evidence was obtained. A Downing Street spokesperson tells journalists: ‘We must let the police do their jobs and let the trial establish the facts.’
Wednesday 30 October: Axel Rudakubana appears at Westminster magistrates court via video link from HMP Belmarsh. He is next due to appear at Liverpool crown court on 13 November for a plea hearing on three counts of murder.
In Parliament, Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, warns MPs ‘that nothing is said in this House which could potentially prejudice a proper trial or lead to it being abandoned.’
Thursday 31st October: Counter terrorism experts tell the Telegraph that police would have informed the Home Secretary of the discovery of a biological toxin like ricin ‘within hours’.
One suggests it would have been passed to the counter-terrorism police in the north west who would have informed Matt Jukes, head of UK counter-terrorism police, who would then have told the Home Office. In such a high-profile case, No. 10 may have been told.
Downing Street refuses to say if and when ministers such as the Home Secretary were informed about the discoveries of both the ricin and the PDF file.
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