The public inquiry into the Southport attack has heard how killer Axel Rudakubana once raised fears about MI5 and MI6 accessing his information — evidence only recently uncovered after a council disclosure error.
00:00At Liverpool Town Hall, the Southport Inquiries heard that attacker Axel Rudigabana once voiced fears about security services accessing his personal information.
00:11Counsel to the Inquiry, Nicholas Moss Casey, said a newly uncovered council record showed Rudigabana became vocal about MI5, MI6, the American government and the Taliban during a home visit with a social worker.
00:22The disclosure came after Lancashire County Council admitted an error meant some of its files had not been passed to the Inquiry.
00:30The missing materials said Mr Moss included extensive omissions and records linked to Rudigabana's parents, although parts had already been seen.
00:37Other details, including his comment about intelligence agencies, were described as new and significant.
00:44Mr Moss told the Inquiry the information would have been relevant to discussions around the government's Prevent programme.
00:50Rudigabana had been referred to Prevent three times, but all the referrals were closed.
00:55He added that while the newly released notes might have been of interest to prosecutors, they were not thought to change the overall understanding of the case, including the absence of any identified terrorist ideology.
01:08Chairman said Adrian Fulford accepted unreserved apologies offered on behalf of the council and said there was no evidence the material had been withheld in bad faith.
01:15Earlier, the inquiry heard from Lucy McLaughlin, head teacher of Pressfield High School, where Rudigabana had been enrolled.
01:23She said his attendance was just 0.7% and that staff visiting his home were often turned away.
01:30One teacher, she confirmed, was warned by Rudigabana's father that the teenager might become violent if forced to meet.
01:37Sage and Fulford reaffirmed that full transparency remains central to the Southport Inquiry's ongoing work.
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