Fury over Southport ‘triple killer’ terror charges as Tories demand Starmer reveal ‘what he knew and when’
TORY leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick last night demanded the PM tell the country what he knew and when about the Southport child murders.
Police and the Crown Prosecution Service are also under pressure to set out a timeline of events after suspect Axel Rudakubana was yesterday charged under terrorism laws.
Mr Jenrick spoke amid growing public anger in the wake of the latest charges — saying he was “seriously concerned” the facts had been deliberately withheld from the British public.
His Tory leadership rival Kemi Badenoch also demanded answers and said: “As more information emerges, it is quite clear there are serious questions to be asked.”
Rudakubana, 18, was charged with producing ricin under the Biological Weapons Act and with having a PDF document likely to be useful to preparing an act of terrorism under the Terrorism Act.
He was already charged with the murders of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in Southport.
The July killings sparked riots in towns and cities across the UK.
Hundreds involved in the unrest have since been jailed for their part in the summer of violence.
But the fresh charges have sparked growing anger over whether the public was deliberately misled at the start of the case.
Cops insisted at the time the killings were not being treated as terror-related.
And despite the latest charges, police have still not declared it a terror attack as they cannot be sure of the motive.
Mr Jenrick said: “The Government and authorities told us for months they were not treating this as a terrorist incident.
“This atrocity was of immense public concern.
“The public had the right to know the truth right away.
“Any suggestion of a cover up will permanently damage trust in whether we are being told the truth about crime in our country.
“So Keir Starmer must urgently explain to the country what he knew about the Southport attack and when he learned it.
“Of course the legal process needs to be respected.
“But I’m seriously concerned the facts may have been withheld from the public.”
Ms Badenoch said questions needed to be asked, adding: “Parliament is the right place for this to happen.
“While we must abide by the rules of contempt of court and not prejudice this case, it is important there is appropriate scrutiny.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “In the wake of the horrific murder of those three girls in Southport, I asked some questions, saying please tell us the truth, stop the online speculation.
“Well, it’s taken a long time to find out more.”
Downing Street denied the Government had been involved in the timing of the charging announcement, which came less than 24 hours before it unveiled its controversial first Budget today.
A spokeswoman said: “Charging decisions and when those are made are for the CPS.”
Keir Starmer must urgently explain to the country what he knew about the Southport attack and when he learned it
Robert Jenrick
She also said it was “not correct” to say the Government had been involved in withholding facts from the public.
The spokeswoman added: “The Government is focused on ensuring the families and all those affected receive justice, and first and foremost the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with those families and the local community.”
Chief Constable of Merseyside police Serena Kennedy said speculation online that police were “keeping things from the public” was “not the case”.
But she said she was restricted in what she could say because it was vital Rudakubana’s right to a fair trial was protected.
The Chief Constable added: “My officers and staff have been working diligently in conjunction with colleagues from counter-terrorism.
“They are continuing to assess evidential material to ensure all the evidence is available to the CPS, and the details of the case will come out in court.
“My plea is to be patient, don’t engage in rumour and speculation and don’t believe everything you read on social media.”
The Times reported there had been a lot of contingency work to prepare for the potential for civil unrest after the announcement of the terror-related charge by Merseyside Police.
But it quoted Home Office sources saying there was no intelligence to suggest there would be any.
Police statement on terror charges
Chief Constable Kennedy said: “Today the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Axel Rudakubana, aged 18, be charged with two further offences.
“The two further offences relate to evidence obtained by Merseyside Police during searches of his home address as part of a lengthy and complex investigation which has been ongoing since the 29th of July.
“Following announcement of those charges today, I want to reassure the people of Southport and the communities of Merseyside that we are committed to justice for the families of those affected.
“We are also committed to being open and transparent in our communities. However, I do need to make sure that you do not prejudice this trial.
“You may have seen speculation online that the police are deciding to keep information from the public, this is certainly not the case.
“We have been given extensive guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure the integrity of the court proceedings are protected, and we are restricted and what we can share with you.
“Following the events of Monday, the 29th of July searches of his home address resulted in an unknown substance being found, testing confirmed the substance as ricin.
“We have worked extensively with partners to establish it was a low to very low risk for the public and I want to make that reassurance clear today. I can also tell you that there was no ricin in present at the dance studio.
“When ricin was discovered, all necessary steps were taken to ensure no one was at risk. This was a multi agency response.
“At this time, Counter Terrorism Policing has not declared the attack on Monday 29 July a terrorist incident. I recognise that the new charges, may lead to speculation.
“The matter for which Axel Rudakubana has been charged with under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established.
“Since 29th July, my officers and staff have been working diligently in conjunction with colleagues from Counter- terrorism and they are continuing to assess evidential material we have recovered to ensure all the evidence is available to the CPS, and the details of the case will come out in court.
“My plea is to be patient, don’t engage in rumour and speculation and don’t believe everything you read on social media.
“We must not lose sight of the families of Elsie, Bebe, and Alice, who are still grieving, and the families of those children and adults who were injured and affected by what happened on that day.
“We all need to do the right thing by them to ensure the justice process is not prejudiced.”