Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana faced a significant delay in his autism evaluation, lasting eight months, despite urgent pleas from a school teacher for assistance from the NHS due to serious safety concerns. The deputy headteacher of Rudakubana’s school raised alarm over his online activities related to school shootings just as he was referred for assessment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Shockingly, Rudakubana had to endure a 45-week wait for his evaluation after the initial referral in November 2019, as revealed during an inquiry into the tragic incident. Lynsey Boggan, a clinical lead at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, stated that the typical waiting period for such assessments was only 11 weeks.
Joanne Hodson, the deputy head teacher at Acorns School where Rudakubana was a student, expressed urgent concerns about Rudakubana’s behavior in emails to the pediatric service. She highlighted instances where Rudakubana displayed concerning behavior, including fixating on a fellow student and engaging in disturbing online searches related to violence.
Despite Hodson’s repeated alerts to the pediatric service, there seemed to be a lack of response or action. Ms. Boggan acknowledged that the delay in Rudakubana’s assessment was a significant failure. Eventually, Rudakubana was diagnosed with autism in December 2020 and was recommended for an ADHD assessment.
The inquiry also revealed that an assessment by the forensic child and adolescent mental health service was pending, as they awaited the outcome of the autism referral. However, miscommunications between services led to critical information not being shared, potentially impacting Rudakubana’s case management.
Rudakubana is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for the horrendous attack he carried out. The inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall is ongoing to uncover further details surrounding this tragic event.