'Discrete' packaging request for weapon

SOUTHPORT killer Axel Rudakubana was just 15 when he approached two crossbow sellers and asked if they would deliver in “discrete” packaging.

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The inquiry heard how in early May 2022 Rudakubana approached both Tactical Archery UK and Merlin Archery Limited about what their policies were when it came to delivering crossbows.

Giving evidence to the ongoing inquiry sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, a representative for Tactical Archery said “I think we should have reported that” while his counterpart at Merlin Archery accepted the teenage Killer’s requests should have been a cause for concern.

The ongoing inquiry has heard in the years before he carried out the attack Rudakubana amassed an arsenal of weapons including knives, machetes, bow and arrows and castor beans with the intention of making deadly poison ricin.

Investigators found evidence of a number of attempted purchases when they pieced together his internet usage.

On the morning of May 3, 2022, when he was still 15, Rudakubana contacted the two retailers and enquired about what their policy was when it came to purchasing a crossbow, signing off his messages as “A”.

He emailed Tactical Archery and asked: “I would prefer discrete packaging which doesn’t provide any information on what is inside the box.”