Southport Killer's Father Requested Privacy of Social Services Data Amid Inquiry

The public inquiry into the Southport attack has revealed that Axel Rudakubana's father, Alphonse Rudakubana, requested that social services not share certain personal information with the Lancashire Youth Offending Team (YOT), fearing it would "turn our family upside down." Axel, who had a history of violent incidents including attacking a pupil with a hockey stick and bringing knives to school, was under a 10-month referral order managed by the YOT. The father's request came in a November 2020 WhatsApp message to a social worker from the Child and Family Wellbeing Service, a voluntary early help team, expressing concern over confidentiality and questioning the YOT's involvement in assessment reports, as he viewed them as "in charge of punishing Axel." Despite these concerns, the inquiry highlighted that Axel had limited intervention sessions during the referral order period. The message was described as "surprising" by Sarah Callon, senior manager for Lancashire Youth Justice Services, as the case involved multiple agencies over the years leading up to the tragic stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in July 2024.