Dion Rudakubana said his younger brother carried knives in “response to circumstances”
Axel Rudakubana’s brother gave evidence claiming his brother was made an example of by Range High School(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Axel Rudakubana was “made an example of” after he carried a knife in school, his brother told the Southport Inquiry. During the second day of his evidence, Dion Rudakubana was asked about his brother’s education, particularly when his younger brother was expelled from school.
He claimed that his brother carried a knife in response to bullying that he faced at Formby’s Range High School, also claiming he was expelled despite him being told of other students at the school having carried knives and only been given “detentions or suspensions”.
The teenage killer’s parents, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire, and older brother Dion, 21, are the final participants to give evidence to the ongoing Southport Inquiry, which is examining potential missed opportunities to prevent the attack.
Rudakubana, who is only being referred to as AR in the inquiry proceedings, was just 17 when he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport on July 29, 2024. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years after admitting the offences on the first day of his trial in January.
Senior counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC previously told the inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, that a “significant” theme of the proceedings would be the now 19-year-old’s relationship with his family, particularly his behaviour the week before the attack and what their knowledge was of his repeated online orders for weapons.
During his opening, Mr Moss said: “It may be said to be apparent that AR’s parents were aware of…aspects of AR’s conduct that might have been expected to give rise to a concern.”
Giving evidence to the inquiry from a remote location, Dion Rudakubana said he remembered police visiting their home in October 2019 after the teenager called Childline about carrying a knife on multiple occasions.
He said how he recalled hearing Rudakubana tell officers that he intended to use the knife, which he found deeply concerning. The younger brother was expelled from Range High School on October 9, 2019.
In his written statement to the inquiry, Dion Rudakubana said: “Whilst I agree that Range High School had to take action to address AR’s behaviour, I have wondered whether they tried to make an example of AR when they expelled him, rather than supporting him or trying to understand his situation.”
Dion Rudakubana claimed there were several incidents of knife carrying in the school, with only his brother being expelled. However, the inquiry has previously heard from school representatives including the headteacher and safeguarding lead who said between them they were only aware of one incident of a pupil carrying a knife over the previous two decades.
The inquiry heard how Dion Rudakubana received the information second-hand from friends. He does not accept that the information was unreliable, adding “it is a matter of degree, I trust the person who told me”. He added he believes it was “pretty common”.
Mr Boyle asked if he condoned his brother carrying a knife, to which he replied: “Yes…I don’t condone it at all but…it was a response to circumstances.”
The inquiry has previously heard how Rudakubana and his dad, Alphonse, believed the then 13-year-old was being bullied at school. There had been a number of incidents in the weeks before the attack including Rudakubana fighting his alleged bully during an English lesson.
The inquiry then heard how Dion Rudakubana saw his younger brother return to the high school during the hockey stick incident in school uniform after his expulsion.
The inquiry heard how Dion Rudakubana notified his teaching assistant after spotting his brother while waiting to get into a maths lesson. He then recalled: “I saw my brother running and my teacher among other teachers chasing him.”
He added he was “deeply troubled” by the incident, which saw Rudakubana, intending to kill his target, attack an innocent pupil because he did not want to get “in trouble for nothing”.
Following his time at Range High School, Rudakubana was then enrolled at The Acorns School, Dion Rudakubana told the inquiry it was here that his brother “lost touch with his friends completely”. He said he was not aware of Rudakubana having any contact with people his age.
He continued to tell the inquiry how he didn’t speak to his “paranoid” brother who had developed a “profound fear of the outside world”, with him refusing to leave the house.
Following his time at The Acorns School, he moved to Presfield High School where he again did not engage. Dion Rudakubana recalled his parents encouraging him to attend as well as welfare visits at the school.
The inquiry heard on Tuesday, November 5, how Rudakubana’s brother became increasingly wary of him as he grew older, with him having “frequent outbursts”. In messages between Dion and his friend, he compared his brother to No Country for Old Men main character, “sociopathic” hitman Anton Chugurh, played by Javier Bardem.
Rudakubana’s family have not attended the proceedings in person and have been granted permission by inquiry chair Sir Adrian Fulford to give evidence via video link. Only Sir Adrian and counsel to both the inquiry and the core participants are able to see the family member giving evidence with the monitor screens displaying a blank picture for anyone else in the inquiry hall.
The inquiry has already heard from investigating and responding police officers; Rudakubana’s taxi driver on the day of the attack; online knife sellers; counter terrorism officers; the government; mental health providers; his schools; and the social media company X.
The first phase of the inquiry, which is due to be completed by the end of the week, continues.
