Head of Southport attacker's former school tells inquiry he was 'building up to something'

The head teacher of the Southport attacker's former school has told a public inquiry she felt like he was "building up to something".

Joanne Hodson, head of The Acorns School in Ormskirk, said she had a "visceral sense of dread" that he would do something.

"I felt like something was going to happen and there was a level of agitation with direct challenges to staff, the way he was with other pupils. I felt like every day it was building and building and building," she told the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall.

Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17, killed six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July last year.

He was later jailed for a minimum of 52 years.

Rudakubana, referred to during the public inquiry as AR, came to Ms Hodson's school after he was permanently excluded from the Range High School, in Formby, due to taking knives to school in October 2019.

'Devoid of any remorse'

Ms Hodson said she first met Rudakubana at his admissions meeting for the Acorns, when she asked him why he had taken a knife to his former school.

"He looked me in the eyes and said 'to use it'. This is the only time in my career that a pupil has said this to me or behaved in a manner so devoid of any remorse," she said.

"What also surprised me was that AR's parents did not flinch at this comment."

She said the parents saw Rudakubana "as the victim" and believed he had taken the knife to school as a response to being bullied.

His parents thought he was a "good boy" who never did anything wrong and that "any issues were someone else's fault", according to Ms Hodson.

Ms Hodson said she had feared Rudakubana was going to "bring something" to the Acorns.

Instead, he returned to the Range in December 2019 to assault another student with a hockey stick while carrying a knife in his bag.

'Sinister undertone'

Ms Hodson described Rudakubana as the "most unusual" pupil she had experienced during her career, adding in a statement: "There was a sinister undertone and it was difficult to build rapport.

"He had no respect for authority and generally a lack of respect of other pupils and staff. He was insistent that his views alone were correct and everyone else was wrong. There was never any sense of remorse or accountability for his actions."

In his education, health and care plan, it was noted there were concerns that Rudakubana said or did things which had been described as "sinister", the inquiry heard.

More from the inquiry:
Rudakubana judged as posing no risk to others
His parents struggled to deal with outbursts
Taxi driver waited 50 minutes to call 999
The missed chances to stop Rudakubana

Ms Hodson said she was asking other agencies for help, but the word "sinister" was crossed out in the report and changed to "inappropriate" after professional views were submitted by the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS).

"I was challenged quite heavily and told no child should ever be described as sinister and as a professional I should not be using those words," she said.

'Let down' by Prevent

Ms Hodson said school staff were concerned about Rudakubana attacking his peers and made three referrals about him to the government's anti-terror programme Prevent.

The head teacher said staff felt "let down" after their third referral caused in the school's relationship with Rudakubana and his father, but was not acted on by Prevent.

When Rudakubana made comments thought to be antisemitic in school in January 2022, teachers did not make another referral to Prevent, with Ms Hodson telling the inquiry: "On reflection, whilst I regret not submitting further Prevent referrals in 2022, I think by this point Acorns had lost faith that anything would be done."

She said staff were concerned about Rudakubana being radicalised, but "he was so socially isolated that I could not conceive of the idea that he might attack a group of strangers, let alone young children".

"The tragic events are so far removed from what I would have associated AR with in terms of risk," Ms Hodson said.

The inquiry was adjourned until Monday.

(c) Sky News 2025: Head of Southport attacker's former school tells inquiry he was 'building up to something'