Nigel Farage has demanded that the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana be returned to prison after he was transferred from HMP Belmarsh to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital.
The 19-year-old was moved from the Category A prison this week after clinical assessments concluded that he could no longer be managed safely in a prison environment. Broadmoor is a high-security psychiatric hospital where those detained are treated as patients under the Mental Health Act.
Rudakubana is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years for murdering nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July 2024.
He also attempted to murder eight other children and two adults during the attack. Despite the transfer, the Ministry of Justice has insisted that his sentence remains unchanged and that he could be returned to prison should his mental health improve.
But the decision has provoked anger among the victims’ families, who have accused Rudakubana of manipulating the system to secure better conditions. They have pointed out that he was assessed as fit to stand trial before being sentenced in January 2025.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said:
“Axel Rudakubana has been moved from prison to a psychiatric hospital where he will be treated as a patient, not a prisoner.
“During the trial, his own defence lawyer did not submit a psychiatric report.
“This outrageous decision must be reversed.”
The transfer comes less than a week before the second anniversary of the Southport attack, compounding the distress of families still awaiting answers about the failures that allowed Rudakubana to carry out the murders.
The 19-year-old was moved from the Category A prison this week after clinical assessments concluded that he could no longer be managed safely in a prison environment. Broadmoor is a high-security psychiatric hospital where those detained are treated as patients under the Mental Health Act.
Rudakubana is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years for murdering nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July 2024.
He also attempted to murder eight other children and two adults during the attack. Despite the transfer, the Ministry of Justice has insisted that his sentence remains unchanged and that he could be returned to prison should his mental health improve.
But the decision has provoked anger among the victims’ families, who have accused Rudakubana of manipulating the system to secure better conditions. They have pointed out that he was assessed as fit to stand trial before being sentenced in January 2025.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said:
“Axel Rudakubana has been moved from prison to a psychiatric hospital where he will be treated as a patient, not a prisoner.
“During the trial, his own defence lawyer did not submit a psychiatric report.
“This outrageous decision must be reversed.”
The transfer comes less than a week before the second anniversary of the Southport attack, compounding the distress of families still awaiting answers about the failures that allowed Rudakubana to carry out the murders.
Photo by: Merseyside Police.
