Statement from Senior National Coordinator for Prevent and Pursue, Vicki Evans, following the sentencing of Axel Rudakubana:
Today, all of our thoughts and focus are on Elsie, Bebe, Alice and the victims, families and communities who have been devastated by Axel Rudakubana’s horrific actions.
I can’t begin to imagine the pain and trauma they have endured as a result of the events of 29 July.
Since that day, Counter Terrorism Policing’s efforts have been concentrated on supporting Merseyside Police in their investigation to search for the truth and to secure justice for them and their loved ones.
With Merseyside Police investigators, we have been relentless in our pursuit of evidence to help us understand why those poor defenceless children and others were attacked that day.
This included providing specialist support in forensic examinations of the perpetrator’s home and multiple digital devices. Together with investigators, we have reviewed thousands of digital files, and supported with carrying out witness interviews and intelligence gathering.
The perpetrator has shown no signs of remorse. He has not explained motivation for his actions. We have not found evidence that explains why he chose to attack those children or that event.
The absence of evidence of a motivation, means that these acts have not met a legal definition of terrorism. But to be clear, that does not make the horrendous attacks any less terrifying or terrorising for those impacted, or the whole community. Nor does it constrain our determination to secure justice and answers for the victims, families and communities impacted.
The full weight of our collective investigative teams and the criminal justice system has been brought to bear to deliver this conviction.
In the same way, we must now consider how we work together in the future to tackle this challenge of individuals who are fixated on all types of extreme violence, both within and beyond the counter terrorism system.
The perpetrator had contact with a range of services, including the counter terrorism Prevent system. Following these attacks we worked rapidly with the Home Office to commission a review of this contact, and we welcome the announcement of a public inquiry which will examine all services’ previous contact with him. We will approach that inquiry with candour, and that will not stop us making any changes required in the meantime while the inquiry progresses.
The same determination we put towards the investigation is now being applied to examining how the range of agencies involved did not come together to collectively understand, identify and deal with the risk he posed.
A total of three referrals were made to the Prevent system, by education providers, between December 2019 and April 2021.
At the time, the Prevent partnership response to the increasing fixation with extreme violence was evolving, but was less developed than it is today. We have spoken about the growing number of young people with complex fixations with violence and gore in our casework. But with no clear ideology other than that fascination.
Although improvements to help tackle this challenge have been made, it is right that questions are asked about what more needs to be done across the whole Prevent system and beyond.
Many threads have to come together if we are to stop children and vulnerable people being led towards violence and extremism, including better and earlier identification of those at risk, and reducing the ready access to weapons and horrific toxic online material.
That includes understanding what has worked in the counter terrorism system to reduce other threats, and how we can take those lessons and translated them into wider systems, to help us tackle this challenge. This includes where the counter terrorism system itself needs to change.
We will be open, determined and committed in pursuing the questions raised by this tragic case, and welcome scrutiny of Counter Terrorism’s role, and the wider Prevent system in previous interactions – and we will work hard to secure answers for all those impacted by this terrible incident and the wider public.