Chances were missed by Prevent counter-terrorism scheme to stop Southport killer Axel Rudakubana years ago
The Prevent counter-terrorism scheme "prematurely" closed its case on Axel Rudakubana three years before he went on to murder three children in Southport, a government review has found.
There was enough evidence to consider the Southport killer a terror threat, a Home Office report of the handling of Axel Rudakubana has shown.
Rudakubana was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years – one of the highest minimum terms on record – for murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year.
He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Security minister Dan Jarvis MP told the House of Commons Rudakubana had already discussed the Manchester Arena bombing and stabbing people when Prevent decided to end its involvement with him.
Three separate referrals were made to Prevent about Rudakubana’s behaviour in the years before the attack, as well as six separate calls to police.
The learning review found counter terrorism officers staffing the Prevent scheme had "sufficient information" to escalate his case to the next stage - known as Channel - which would have included enhanced monitoring.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley told the chamber "it beggared belief" that the report noted Rudakubana's name was spelled incorrectly on the Prevent database, which, the report found, had the potential to mean previous referrals would not show up in searches.
His first referral to Prevent in December 2019, when he was 13, was made by The Acorns special school where he was a pupil after being expelled from Range High School in Formby for carrying a knife.