Southport Killer Had ‘Sickening and Sustained Interest’ in Violence, U.K. Officials Say

After his expulsion, Mr. Rudakubana was enrolled at the Acorns School in Lancashire, which caters to children with special needs, and at Presfield High School and Specialist College. But he struggled to integrate, the safeguarding agency said, a situation that worsened after the pandemic began in 2020 and schools closed. Despite professionals’ efforts to engage with him, he “continued to face challenges related to his emotional and behavioral well-being, social interactions and education,” the agency said, and his attendance was limited.

‘Savagery and senselessness’

On July 22, Mr. Rudakubana booked a taxi to take him to Range High School, according to a local police official. But his father ran outside and pleaded with the driver not to take him, and eventually Mr. Rudakubana returned to the house. CCTV footage showed him wearing the same hooded sweatshirt and mask that he would wear a week later, during the Southport attack. No more information was provided on the incident.

On that morning of the attack, two teachers set up a room at Hart Space, a yoga and community studio in Southport. They laid out a station for bracelet making and an area for yoga, and they lined up a playlist of Taylor Swift songs, ready for the 26 youngsters who arrived around 10 a.m. The class had been advertised on an Instagram account and had quickly sold out.

As the class neared its end, just before noon, Mr. Rudakubana arrived in a taxi and walked into the building, where he stabbed to death Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9. Eight other children were wounded, along with Leanne Lucas, the organizer of the event, who tried to shield the children, and John Hayes, a businessman who worked nearby and who tried to tackle Mr. Rudakubana.