After his expulsion, Mr Rudakubana was enrolled at Acorns School in Lancashire, which caters for children with special needs, and Presfield High School and Specialist College. But it has struggled to integrate, the safeguarding agency said, a situation that worsened after the pandemic began in 2020 and school closures. Despite professionals’ efforts to engage with him, he “continued to face challenges related to his emotional and behavioral well-being, social interactions and education,” the agency said, and his presence was limited.
“Feeling and senselessness”
On July 22, Mr Rudakubana booked a taxi to take him to Range High School, according to a local police official. But his father ran out and begged the driver not to take him, and eventually Mr Rudakubana returned home. CCTV footage showed him wearing the same hoodie and mask he would wear a week later during the Southport attack. No further information on the incident was provided.
On the morning of the attack, two teachers set up a room at Hart Space, a yoga and community studio in Southport. They set up a bracelet-making station and a yoga area, and had a playlist of Taylor Swift songs ready for the 26 kids who arrived around 10 a.m. The class had been advertised on an Instagram account and was quickly worn out.
As class neared its end, just before noon, Mr. Rudakubana arrived by taxi and entered the building, where he stabbed to death Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9. Eight other children were injured, along with Leanne Lucas, the organizer of the event, who tried to protect the children, and John Hayes, a businessman who worked nearby and who tried to confront the Mr. Rudakubana.