Axel Rudakubana moved to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital

Axel Rudakubana, who was sentenced to a minimum 52‑year term for murdering three girls and attempting to kill ten other people at a Taylor‑Swift themed dance class in Southport in July 2024, has been transferred from the Category A prison HMP Belmarsh to the high‑security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in Berkshire. A clinical assessment under the Mental Health Act concluded that he could not be managed safely in prison, prompting the Ministry of Justice to approve the move, which does not alter his sentence.

Rudakubana, now 19, will remain a patient at Broadmoor until assessed as fit to return to prison. The transfer is expected to cost considerably more than incarceration in Belmarsh, with secure‑hospital beds costing over £300,000 per year compared with about £60,000 for a prisoner. Reactions include a families’ lawyer describing the move as another attempt by the offender to “manipulate the system”, the Prison Officers’ Association warning he will enjoy freedoms afforded to patients, and a junior minister stating he should be returned to prison as soon as possible.