Southport Killer Axel Rudakubana Faces Trial Over Alleged Boiling Water Attack on Prison Officer

Axel Rudakubana, the man serving a life sentence for murdering three young girls at a dance class in Southport, is facing a new court battle over allegations that he attacked prison staff while being held at a high-security facility. The 20-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey on October 19, 2026, in connection with several alleged incidents during his time at HMP Belmarsh in London.

The most serious allegation concerns an incident on May 8, 2025, when Rudakubana allegedly threw boiling water mixed with sugar through the hatch of his cell door, striking a male prison officer. Prosecutors told the court that the officer received prompt medical treatment, which prevented lasting injuries. Rudakubana is charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in connection with the incident. He has not yet been convicted of these new offences.

The court also heard details of other alleged confrontations with prison staff. Two days before the boiling-water incident, Rudakubana allegedly threatened to throw liquid over a female officer if she did not pass him a newspaper. Prosecutors said he subsequently threw an unidentified liquid at her. In a separate incident on October 28, 2025, he allegedly punched a male officer who had challenged him after he attempted to walk past staff.

Another allegation relates to an incident in June 2025, when sharpened fragments of stone were reportedly discovered attached to the underside of a shelving unit in his cell. Prosecutors said the fragments appeared to have been removed from the cell floor. When questioned, Rudakubana allegedly told a prison officer he was keeping them for self-defence. He faces a charge of possessing an offensive weapon in prison, alongside two charges of assaulting an emergency worker and the attempted grievous bodily harm charge.

Rudakubana was sentenced in January 2025 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years after pleading guilty to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. The children were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29, 2024. He also admitted attempting to murder eight other children and two adults in the attack, which shocked communities across the United Kingdom.

Following the alleged incidents at Belmarsh, Rudakubana was transferred to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital, in July 2026 after clinical assessments concluded that he could not safely be managed in prison. The transfer did not change his existing sentence. At the October 19 hearing, he appeared by video link from Broadmoor and was not asked to enter pleas to the new charges. A provisional two-week trial has been scheduled to begin on October 4, 2027, with a further review hearing set for February 5. The allegations will now be examined through the court process.

Source: The Mirror, ITV News and Sky News.