Chilling update exposes just how cowardly Southport teenage killer Axel Rudakubana is

Southport teenage killer Axel Rudakubana specifically targeted women and girls in his sadistic attack on a children’s dance class, the public inquiry heard.

The then 17-year-old, whose fascination with extreme violence was causing his family and teachers to have growing concerns, had been reviewed by doctors and safeguarding leaders.

But it was revealed yesterday he had been discharged from child mental health services days before carrying out the horrific attack in which three girls died on July 29 last year.

Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry, said in an opening statement it was a notable feature that all the victims were female apart from one.

The hearing was shown the pink poster for the Taylor Swift-themed dance class, which Mr Moss said was “bound to appeal more to girls”. He added Rudakubana, who he referred to as “AR”, would have known from the advert that the event was for girls and organised by two women.

READ MORE: Southport victim's mum describes horror scene after daughter, 7, fatally stabbed

READ MORE: Southport attack schoolgirl 'knew she was dying' as she ran towards mum for help

Mr Moss said: “So this brings into play the fact that AR was, it appears, specifically targeting women and girls. When you add in their ages and the targeting of an event where AR may have thought parents would not be present, in combination, the attack was so manifestly and extremely cowardly.” Rudakubana, now 19, was given a 52-year life term after admitting the murders of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

He also admitted the attempted murder of eight other children and class instructor Leanne Lucas, 36, and businessman Jonathan Hayes, 64, who had rushed to help the injured children.

It emerged he had been repeatedly referred to the anti-terror programme Prevent, had attacked a school pupil with a hockey stick, used school computers to search terror attacks and carried a knife on multiple occasions.

And the inquiry heard details about how he had been able to buy machetes and knives online. Some of these were found under his bed, along with the biological toxin ricin. Police recovered images from his browsing history of graphic injuries, slavery, warfare, the mistreatment of women and Nazi Germany.

He had images of Adolf Hitler and of Islamic State terrorist Mohammed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John”. Just 40 minutes before carrying out the atrocity, he watched a video of a knife attack on a bishop in Australia.

Mr Moss said though no religious or terrorist ideology had been identified, families of the victims want to know “how that conclusion was reached”.

Sir Adrian Fulford, chairman of the inquiry, promised to do everything “humanly possible” to answer their questions. The hearing at Liverpool Town Hall continues.