Southport killer’s brother says he feared Rudakubana would kill a family member

The brother of the Southport killer said his parents "lost control" of their son and he feared his younger sibling would kill a member of their family, a public inquiry has heard.

Axel Rudakubana, then 17, killed three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop on 29 July 2024.

The Southport Inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, heard the attacker's brother Dion Rudakubana told a friend there was a risk of his brother "doing something potentially fatal".

The inquiry was told Dion told his friend over the Discord messaging app: "The fights are scary because of the danger of someone dying".

The inquiry heard Dion was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder at the age of 12 which led to him using a wheelchair and his parents helping him more.

When asked by Richard Boyle, counsel to the inquiry, if that changed his relationship he said: "There was tension that came about."

Dion agreed his brother appeared to resent this change.

He told the inquiry that after the family moved from Cardiff to Southport his brother's moods deteriorated and he would have "violent outbursts".

The inquiry heard Dion became "increasingly wary" of his brother, who would hit him regularly.

He said: "I had to be cautious if I did speak to him because any disagreement could escalate into an argument."

Dion said his brother became significantly more violent after he was expelled from Range High School in Formby, Merseyside, in October 2019.

Dion left for university in 2022 and the brothers spoke less and less "because he was not familiar with having me around".

The inquiry was told about a message Dion sent to a friend on Discord in which he said his brother was annoyed by him speaking late at night because of the thin walls in their home.

He also told his friend there was a risk of "him doing something potentially fatal".

He said: "The fights are scary because of the danger of someone dying."

Mr Boyle asked: "You had serious fears that your brother would kill a member of your family?"

Dion replied: "If things escalated to that point."

Mr Boyle asked how his parents reacted to the attacker's violent behaviour.

"It didn't make sense to try and punish him," he said. "Also, there was a heavy risk in doing so.

"We said there was a general risk to life in general conversation, if you try to confront him... it wouldn't be responded to well."

When Mr Boyle asked if his parents had lost control of his brother, Dion agreed.

When asked about his brother reminding him of a character from the film No Country for Old Men, Dion said: "I've been told that character's meant to be a sociopath and that's why I used the word there".

Dion said the last interaction he had with his brother was in the summer of 2023 .

He confirmed that their parents asked the killer to say goodbye to him as he was leaving to see his friends and his brother threw a bottle at him but the door had closed before it hit.

The inquiry continues.