Axel Rudakubana attempted to travel to former school a week before attack
It can now be reported that teachers had concerns about his behaviour.
A week before launching a knife attack on a Southport dance class Axel Rudakubana had attempted to travel to his former school as pupils broke up for the summer holidays, it is understood.
The 18-year-old booked a taxi to go to Range High School in Formby on July 22, the PA news agency understands, seven days before he would travel by taxi to The Hart Space and murder Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
On both occasions he is said to have been wearing the same outfit, a green hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, despite the summer temperatures, and a surgical mask.
Ten minutes after his taxi was booked, at 12.30pm, pupils were due to leave the school premises on their last day of term, it is understood.
On July 22, however, his father followed him out of the house and pleaded with the taxi driver not to take him.
Rudakubana, 18, was excluded from the secondary school over claims he was carrying a knife and later returned to attack someone with a hockey stick, PA understands.
Aged 17 at the time of the attack, Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and had moved with his family to the village of Banks in Lancashire about a decade ago.
Neighbours described the family as unremarkable, but it can now be reported that teachers had concerns about his behaviour from when he entered Year 9.
Rudakubana was excluded in October 2019 after telling Childline that he was being racially bullied and was bringing a knife into school to protect himself, it is understood.
It is not known if he was being bullied.
After his exclusion, in December that year, he returned to the school and assaulted someone with a hockey stick, the intended target being a former bully or someone he had a grievance with, it is understood.
Lancashire Child Safeguarding Partnership said, after the incident involving the knife, a number of agencies became involved with Rudakubana.
Police had several interactions with him between October 2019 and May 2022, including responding to five calls from his home address relating to concerns about his behaviour, a spokesman for the partnership said.
On each occasion referrals were made to a multi-agency safeguarding hub.
After an initial assessment by children’s social care, early help support was given to Rudakubana and his family around his emotional wellbeing and behaviours, the spokesman said.
Rudakubana was referred to the youth justice service, completing a referral order in 2021, was having an autism spectrum disorder assessment and remained open to Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) although he had stopped engaging with the service.
According to the safeguarding partnership, he struggled to re-integrate into school following his exclusion.
The spokesman said: “This was exacerbated by the pandemic and as a result, his attendance was limited.
“CAMHS noted that at this time he was experiencing anxiety which prevented him from leaving his home.”
It is understood Rudakubana went on to attend two specialist schools, The Acorns School in Lancashire and Presfield High School & Specialist College in Southport, and teachers were concerned about his behaviour.
His in-person attendance at Presfield was less than 1%, it is understood.
