Axel Rudakubana, the Southport killer, faced an eight-month delay in his autism assessment despite urgent pleas from a teacher for assistance due to ‘serious safeguarding concerns’. The deputy headteacher of Rudakubana’s school raised alarm about his online activities related to school shootings when he was referred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for evaluation.
Despite being referred in November 2019, Rudakubana had to wait for 45 weeks before receiving his assessment, a delay highlighted during an inquiry into the tragic incident. Lynsey Boggan, the clinical lead at Alder Hey, mentioned that the standard wait time for such assessments was 11 weeks.
Joanne Hodson, the deputy head teacher at Acorns School where Rudakubana studied, contacted the pediatric service expressing worries about his behavior. She detailed incidents where Rudakubana displayed concerning behavior, including fixating on a classmate and searching for information on school shootings.
The inquiry revealed that Rudakubana was eventually diagnosed with autism in December 2020 and was recommended for an ADHD assessment. Ms. Boggan recalled the sensitive delivery of the diagnosis to Rudakubana and his father, considering previous incidents of harm caused by Rudakubana.
The inquiry also highlighted a missed assessment by the forensic child and adolescent mental health service (FCAMHS) due to delays in the autism referral process. Ms. Boggan noted that communication gaps led to crucial information not being shared between services, impacting the overall assessment process.
Rudakubana, now serving a lengthy prison sentence for his violent attack, continues to be a focus of the ongoing inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall.