Prevent boss leaves role after Southport killer case – reports

The head of the Government’s counter-terror programme Prevent has left his role, it is understood.

Michael Stewart is reported to have left the top job, according to The Times, after a Prevent learning review revealed Axel Rudakubana’s case was closed prematurely before he went on to carry out the Southport murders.

Three separate referrals were made to Prevent about Rudakubana’s behaviour in the years before the attack, as well as six separate calls to police.

The Home Office does not comment on internal staffing.

A review found there was a sufficient risk posed by Rudakubana to keep his cases within Prevent active but these were closed prematurely while too much focus was placed on a lack of distinct ideology.

In a learning point over his first referral in 2019, the review said there was sufficient information to refer Rudakubana to the next stage of the programme, called Channel, especially because of his age and complex needs.

It said Rudakubana’s research of school shootings, talking about stabbing people and saying the terrorist attack on ‘MEN’, believed to refer to the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, “may have shown a real interest in terrorism”.

There were a number of factors present to have concerns about Rudakubana and his potential vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism, it added.

The report also highlighted spelling mistakes of Rudakubana’s name in referrals, although this did not stop the cases being linked.

Alongside the review of Prevent referrals, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that a public inquiry will be held to look at any “missed opportunities” to identify Rudakubana’s murderous intent.

The teenager was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years – one of the highest minimum terms on record – for murdering three young girls and attempting to murder eight other children and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year.