Axel Rudakubana moved to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital as families fear retraumatisation

Axel Rudakubana, the 19‑year‑old convicted of the 2024 Southport dance‑school murders, has been transferred from the Category A prison HMP Belmarsh to Broadmoor Hospital, a high‑security psychiatric facility. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the move does not alter his 52‑year sentence, but the change raises the annual cost of his custody from about £100,000 to over £300,000.

Families of the three children killed have expressed alarm that the timing – a week before the second anniversary of the attack – may be intended to “re‑traumatise” them. Their solicitor, Chris Walker, told BBC Breakfast: “It’s a deep concern of mine that this is a pattern starting to develop by him trying to retraumatise the families from his cell, and it’s a deep concern that this is going to occur every anniversary.” The move has prompted calls for greater transparency about the decision, while officials say the transfer is based on medical assessment under the Mental Health Act.