Southport inquiry conclusion: Killer's parents could have stopped attack

The Southport attack 'would not have occurred' if the killer's parents had flagged concerns about his increasingly violent behaviour, a report into the atrocity said. In a series of damning conclusions, Sir Adrian Fulford, the High Court judge overseeing the public inquiry into the atrocity, said Axel Rudakubana's mother and father obstructed officials, were 'too ready' to excuse their son's actions and failed to stand up to his behaviour or set any boundaries. Warning signs about the risk posed by the 17-year-old were repeatedly flagged to authorities in the weeks and years before he murdered three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside seaside town, in July 2024.