Fury as more than 1,600 terror-obsessed youths like Southport killer Axel Rudakubana left free to roam Britain
MORE than 1,600 terror-obsessed youths like Southport killer Axel Rudakubana have been left free to roam Britain — despite fears of attacks.
Figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday show just 228 of the 1,830 referred to the Government’s Prevent anti-terror programme in the last four years were sent for full monitoring.
The others remained free from any official supervision.
Rudakubana, 18, was referred to Prevent three times by teachers before killing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar at a dance class in July.
On Thursday he was jailed for a minimum of 52 years.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told The Sun on Sunday: “I am clear that urgent reforms are needed to Prevent.
“The programme’s work is vital to stopping extremists and preventing terrorism.
“But it missed three chances to intervene in the case of the Southport killer and swift changes are needed.”
MP Karen Bradley, chairwoman of the Home Affairs select committee, spoke out as figures revealed gaping holes in Prevent, the Government’s anti-terror programme for under 18s.
Dame Bradley said: “Something is not working.
“We have somebody obsessed with violence and they are not being picked up by any agency.
“We are seeing more and more young men and boys sitting at home, searching the internet and developing a propensity for violence and for some reason they are falling through the net.”
The Tory added: “These figures are shocking.”
Home Office figures show a massive increase in the number of children flagged to the anti-terror scheme who, like Rudakubana, cannot be directly linked to any one extremist group or ideology.
Instead they are categorised as “Conflicted” — a grey area where people’s motives are described as “mixed, unstable or unclear”.
Lord Walney, independent government adviser on political violence, said: “These alarming figures show our counter-extremism programmes are not coping with the threat of young people who just want to see the world burn.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “I am appalled by these figures which suggest that hundreds or thousands of dangerous young men are being missed by the system.
“The system appears to be broken.
“We must do whatever it takes to reform it to prevent another terrifying massacre like Southport.”
I am appalled by these figures which suggest that hundreds or thousands of dangerous young men are being missed by the system
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp
A Sun on Sunday investigation uncovered the figures just days after Sir Keir Starmer said the failures of the Prevent programme in relation to Rudakubana would be the subject of a public inquiry.
Earlier this week, he announced a review of the law to address “new and dangerous threat [involving] acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms — fixated on extreme violence seemingly for its own sake.”
The Home Office statistics also reveal the number of school-age children referred to Prevent has been growing while those brought in for help has been falling.
Last year saw 668 of these Conflicted cases referred for examination but just 61 brought in for closer scrutiny.
Two years ago the number referred for examination was just 441, yet a higher number, 72, were accepted for further help.
Rudakubana was first referred to the anti-extremism programme as a 13-year-old in 2019.
It was reported he was trying to speak to his teacher about articles on mass shootings.
But counter-terrorism cops decided he had an interest in news and current affairs — and was not at risk of being radicalised.
Two years later he was flagged twice more after it was discovered he had been showing an unhealthy interest in “incel”-related violence as well as terrorism, including the jihadist attacks of 2017.
However, the referral was not escalated as it was decided he did not hold a terrorist ideology — the same reasoning used by police to charge him with murder rather than terrorism offences.
That decision meant he could not get a whole-life sentence.
Instead on Thursday he was jailed for a minimum of 52 years after admitting three counts of murder, ten of attempted murder, possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin and having information that could be used for terrorism.
Prevent’s aims are to divert those at risk of radicalisation by intervening and offering support, and also rehabilitating those already engaged in terror.
If a panel of professionals from the police, children’s services, social services, education professionals and mental health care experts decide if the person is a risk they are, they are invited to join a voluntary programme, Channel.
This sees them offered mentoring, education and counselling and training for parents.
Any risk is managed by the police.
A review ordered by Ms Cooper after the Southport killings will be published next month.
I am clear that urgent reforms are needed to Prevent
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
She added: “The programme’s work is vital. It currently considers 7,000 referrals a year and has taken action in thousands of cases over more than 20 years.
“But in 2019 and 2021 it missed three chances to intervene in the case of the Southport killer and swift changes are needed.”
Last night she told The Sunday Times a review of referral thresholds to Prevent was under way, looking in particular at individuals “obsessed with school massacres” and also “Islamist extremism”.
Lord Carlile, a former government independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said the Prevent system “is not broken”.
But it was right to look at if it should be broadened, or a parallel system set up, to catch people like Rudakubana.