Axel Rudakubana, convicted of murdering three children at a dance class in Southport, has been transferred from HMP Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.
Rudakubana murdered Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and injured eight other children and two adults during an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024. In January 2025, he received a 52-year prison sentence. The judge could not impose a whole life order because Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the attack.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed the transfer, stating it was based on an independent clinical assessment under the Mental Health Act. Following rigorous security checks, Rudakubana was moved to the secure psychiatric unit, where he will remain until deemed fit to return to prison. An MoJ spokesperson emphasized that the transfer does not alter his 52-year sentence.
In May 2025, Rudakubana, then 19, was the subject of an investigation after allegedly attacking a prison officer with boiling water. Evidence presented at the Southport Public Inquiry has touched on his past mental health conditions. A senior clinician from Alder Hey Children's Hospital previously described Rudakubana's "lack of empathy" combined with a "fascination with violence" and neurodiversity as a "really toxic mix."
Broadmoor is one of three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales, specializing in assessment, treatment, and care under conditions of high security. The annual cost of a secure hospital bed at facilities like Broadmoor is approximately £270,000, significantly higher than the estimated £97,740 annual cost of keeping a prisoner in Belmarsh, according to figures from 2023.