Axel Rudakubana, convicted of murdering three children in Southport, has been transferred from Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor secure hospital, the Ministry of Justice confirmed on July 23, 2026. The 19-year-old was moved earlier this week after it was determined he could not be managed safely within a prison setting.
The decision has drawn criticism from the POA union, which represents prison and psychiatric workers. National chair Mark Fairhurst stated that his members believe Rudakubana is not mentally unwell and is "playing the system" to move to a more comfortable environment. "He should spend his entire sentence in solitary confinement staring at four walls," Fairhurst said.
Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years in January 2025 for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; Bebe King, six; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. The attacks occurred on July 29, 2024, during a dance class in Southport. He also admitted to attempted murders of eight other children and two adults, as well as possessing ricin and an al-Qaida training manual.
The Ministry of Justice emphasized that Rudakubana will remain under constant supervision in the high-security psychiatric unit and is unlikely to be released. "High secure hospitals are not places of freedom," a spokesperson stated. The transfer followed a "robust independent clinical assessment." The ministry also noted that Rudakubana will be returned to prison as soon as possible.
The move is also expected to significantly increase costs for taxpayers. A place in a high-security psychiatric hospital costs over £300,000 annually, compared to approximately £60,000 for a prison inmate. Patients in secure psychiatric hospitals are treated as patients but remain under strict security measures.
Details revealed after the killings showed Rudakubana had prior contact with mental health services. He was under the care of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust between 2019 and 2023. He had initially been referred after bringing a knife to school and admitting he intended to use it. He was also referred to the Government's Prevent counter-extremism program after researching school massacres online.
Rudakubana also attacked a prison officer with boiling water at Belmarsh in May 2025, which triggered an internal investigation. Broadmoor, established in Crowthorne, Berkshire, is one of Britain's oldest high-security psychiatric hospitals and has housed notorious individuals, including Peter Sutcliffe. Patients there are kept in locked wards with constant supervision, 24-hour CCTV, and intensive treatment.