Taxi driver who drove killer to the dance class waited 50 minutes to call police

MORALLY HE SHOULD HAVE PHONED SOONER, DETECTIVE TELLS INQUIRY

- By PATRICK EDRICH

THE taxi driver who drove Southport killer Axel Rudakubana to the dance party ‘morally’ should have called the police sooner, the senior detective has told the inquiry.

Merseyside Police detective chief inspector Jason Pye told the ongoing Southport Inquiry that driver Gary Poland had called 999 in relation to the mass stabbing, but not until around 50 minutes after the force had first been made aware by one of the victims.

One Call Taxis employee Mr Poland had collected the teenage killer from his home address at Old School Close in Banks and had driven him to Hart Street in Southport where the Taylor Swift-themed dance party was coming to an end.

Rudakubana, armed with a knife bought on Amazon, burst into the event and began attacking the girls while they made friendship bracelets.

He murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in the attack on July 29 last year.

He also badly injured eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as teacher and party organiser Leanne Lucas and local businessman John Hayes.