Southport families say killer’s parents ‘must be held accountable’

The families of the three girls killed in the Southport attacks have condemned the killer’s parents for failing to take responsibility and “keeping quiet” when they knew what they knew was their dangerous son.

Elsie DOT STANCOMBE, Seven, Bebe King, Six, and Alice Da Silva Aghiar, nine, were killed by Axel Rudakapan, then 17, in a knife attack in 2024.

The families of the girls said that the “sadly depressing” evidence from the killer’s parents, the inquest heard, showed that “this tragedy was unavoidable.

The parents of the killer apologized to the families at the hearing, saying they were “deeply sorry” for their “failure”.

Elsie’s parents, Jenni and David Stancombe, said they believed Pipamatay’s parents Alphonse Rudakuba and Laetitia Muzayire “should be held to account for what they allowed to happen”.

“They know how dangerous he is, yet they keep quiet,” they said.

“They have failed not only as parents but as members of our society.”

The killer’s parents “knew that his behavior was escalating” in the months, weeks, and days before the attack, they said, “And yet, they did nothing”.

They accused them of showing “no real remorse or acceptance of the devastation their son has caused”.

Alex and Sergio Aghiar said the system failed their beloved Alice, Bebe and Elsie.

“This tragedy was inevitable,” they said.

“This is the result of negligence – negligence by those who should have known better, and by a system that repeatedly ignored the warning signs.

“The institutions and authorities whose role is to protect children have failed in their most important function and because of the failures, everything has been lost.”

Bebe’s parents, Lauren and Ben King, added: “What we’re trying to understand is not just [the killer’s parents’] Failure then, but their failure now – to acknowledge, to take responsibility, to face what they allowed to happen.

“But it’s not about the actions of a family.

“This is about the repeated failures of agencies and professionals who should have known better – who knew better – and did nothing.”

The statements followed MR Rudakabana and Ms Muzayire giving evidence at the public inquiry into the murder.

The couple who gave their evidence via videoolink, which can be heard but not seen by the public and press, both apologized to the families of the victims.

Ms Muzayire, who moved to the UK from Rwanda with her husband in 2002, said her family had arrived at the inquiry with “broken hearts”.

“No words can adequately express our grief and remorse for the children whose lives were taken or forever changed by the actions of our son,” he said.

She said there are “a lot of things” she and her husband wish they had done differently.

“[For] Our failure, we are very sorry,” he added.

During his second day of evidence, Mr Rudakubaa said he was “excited” for the families of the victims, and “ashamed” he had “lost the courage to save their little angels”.

Nicholas Bowen KC, representing the bereaved families, told him: “They have strength for your reasoning and the way you answer the questions.”

Mr Bowen was then stopped by inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Rightord, who told him: “That’s not appropriate.”

The parents of the girls issued their statements as the inquiry concluded its first phase. A second phase of inquiry is expected to focus on the risk posed by young people who have a fixation or obsession with acts of extreme violence.

Rudakuba, 18, is serving a minimum 52-year sentence for the murders.