Southport Killer’s Attempts to Manipulate Doctors Exposed by Report

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, whose move to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital this week has sparked public outcry, has a lengthy history of trying to “control and manipulate” medical professionals. The Telegraph has the story.

Axel Rudakubana, 19, who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in 2024, has been transferred from Belmarsh high-security prison to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. The decision has prompted widespread criticism.

The families of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe accused the killer of attempting to “manipulate the system”.

The Telegraph can now reveal that the Southport Inquiry into Rudakubana’s crimes found numerous examples of manipulative behaviour over several years.

The report on the inquiry’s first phase, published earlier this year, included testimony from multiple witnesses describing how Rudakubana had repeatedly tried to deceive doctors, teachers and support workers for his own ends.

Three years before the Southport murders, Rudakubana demanded to see a consultant psychiatrist as part of his treatment after violent acts at school. In one of the incidents, he struck another pupil with a hockey stick.

Dr Lakshmi Ramasubramanian, a Consultant Psychiatrist, told the inquiry that Rudakubana had attempted to control the narrative of their first appointment, which took place over the phone in July 2021.

She said: “He articulated symptoms of anxiety as if he had rehearsed it from a book. It was very apparent that he was trying to convince me and persuade me that he needed medication. He was certainly demanding, argumentative and tried to dictate. I would almost use the word manipulate.”

A mental health support worker said that on another occasion Rudakubana had been prescribed medication, which he believed was not working. He refused to take it until the doctor changed his prescription.

In his conclusions, Sir Adrian Fulford, chairman of the inquiry, said it was clear that Rudakubana had attempted to “dictate treatment”.

He said: “[Rudakubana] seemingly simply wanted to share his symptoms in order to secure particular medication. … [He] had been demanding, argumentative and he had attempted to dictate treatment.”

He said one of the “defining hallmarks” of the killer’s personality was that he was “deeply manipulative and routinely untruthful”. …

Under the Mental Health Act, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is likely to have had no choice but to accept doctors’ recommendations about whether Rudakubana could be held safely in prison. The law requires that he be transferred back to prison when he no longer requires treatment in hospital.

Mark Fairhurst, the National Chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, said Rudakubana had “played the system” so he could enjoy the “freedoms that are afforded to mentally unwell patients in secure psychiatric hospitals”.

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, called for the “outrageous” decision to be reversed immediately.

HMP Belmarsh is a high-security Category A prison known for a high population of Islamist terrorists. In recent years, inmates have included Hashem Abedi, the brother of Salman Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber.

An inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that some of its prisoners spent just 90 minutes a day outside their cells. It found vermin in kitchens, that too few inmates were engaged in “purposeful activity” such as education or work, and that prisoners in segregation ate meals near open toilets.

In contrast, Broadmoor, run by the West London NHS Trust, offers a range of activities, and conditions are much more relaxed. Up to 210 men with mental health disorders are housed in a facility, which is focused on care and helping them recover.

The facility offers activities, such as arts and crafts, sports and vocational training, and has a café, hairdresser, multi-faith sanctuary and pottery workshop.

Worth reading in full.