Southport monster has tests in prison to see if he's 'mad not bad'
Axel Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport
Triple child killer Axel Rudakubana is being considered for a move from prison to a "cushy" secure hospital, it is understood.
The 18-year-old murderer has reportedly had assessments with therapists and psychologists over whether he is "mad not bad" and, if the fiend is cleared for treatment in a mental health unit he could be transferred to a different jail.
Currently in HMP Belmarsh, a tough Category A prison, Rudakubana will move to either Broadmoor, Ashworth or Rampton hospitals. Inmates at these - England's three top-secure psychiatric units - are treated as "patients" rather than prisoners, with a focus on their therapy.
But this has caused anger, not least as The Mirror has reported last month Rudakubana, from Banks, Lancashire, already has privileges amid his "cushy life" in jail. He requests treats such as Maltesers and McCoy's - and has them delivered to his cell by prison guards whom are colleagues of an officer Rudakubana recently scolded with boiling water.
"If he was moved, he would be kept in better conditions, with all the rooms single ones and less restrictions on things like TV and DvDs plus visitors... If you are serving a sentence as long as his, you would want to be in a secure hospital unit rather than prison. No officer at Belmarsh believes he is mentally ill but he says the right things in meetings," a source said last night.
Any move would also hit the taxpayer with a much higher bill – of £325,000 per year compared to £57,000 in prison - for Rudakubana's care. The yob is serving at least 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King last summer.
Speaking to The Sun, the source added: "Conversations are happening now about his future, after he was being assessed by therapists, psychologists and other medical experts. He is very keen for a move because but others at Belmarsh think he is gaming the system."
When the teenager was sentenced in January, it was revealed he had been under the care of an NHS mental health service between 2019 and 2023 - until he "stopped engaging".
The fiend has been held under strict conditions at Belmarsh, which is in southeast London, but he somehow was able to attack the guard in May. Rudakubana was allowed a kettle and is believed to have used it to boil water ahead of the "serious assault," after which the officer needed treatment in hospital. He has since returned to work, it is understood.
Ministry of Justice sources told The Sun initial assessments had started – but said no hospital referral had been "initiated" or was ongoing.
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Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
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Southport monster has tests in prison to see if he's 'mad not bad'
Axel Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport Triple child killer Axel Rudakubana is being considered for a move from prison to a "cushy" secure hospital, it is understood. The 18-year-old murderer has reportedly had assessments with therapists and psychologists over whether he is "mad not bad" and, if the fiend is cleared for treatment in a mental health unit he could be transferred to a different jail. Currently in HMP Belmarsh, a tough Category A prison, Rudakubana will move to either Broadmoor, Ashworth or Rampton hospitals. Inmates at these - England's three top-secure psychiatric units - are treated as "patients" rather than prisoners, with a focus on their therapy. But this has caused anger, not least as The Mirror has reported last month Rudakubana, from Banks, Lancashire, already has privileges amid his "cushy life" in jail. He requests treats such as Maltesers and McCoy's - and has them delivered to his cell by prison guards whom are colleagues of an officer Rudakubana recently scolded with boiling water. "If he was moved, he would be kept in better conditions, with all the rooms single ones and less restrictions on things like TV and DvDs plus visitors... If you are serving a sentence as long as his, you would want to be in a secure hospital unit rather than prison. No officer at Belmarsh believes he is mentally ill but he says the right things in meetings," a source said last night. Any move would also hit the taxpayer with a much higher bill – of £325,000 per year compared to £57,000 in prison - for Rudakubana's care. The yob is serving at least 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King last summer. Speaking to The Sun, the source added: "Conversations are happening now about his future, after he was being assessed by therapists, psychologists and other medical experts. He is very keen for a move because but others at Belmarsh think he is gaming the system." When the teenager was sentenced in January, it was revealed he had been under the care of an NHS mental health service between 2019 and 2023 - until he "stopped engaging". The fiend has been held under strict conditions at Belmarsh, which is in southeast London, but he somehow was able to attack the guard in May. Rudakubana was allowed a kettle and is believed to have used it to boil water ahead of the "serious assault," after which the officer needed treatment in hospital. He has since returned to work, it is understood. Ministry of Justice sources told The Sun initial assessments had started – but said no hospital referral had been "initiated" or was ongoing.
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