Axel Rudakubana, the teenager who killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, has been moved from HMP Belmarsh to Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital after doctors concluded he could not be safely managed in prison.
The transfer was approved by officials on behalf of ministers and does not alter his 52-year minimum sentence, handed down in January 2025 for the July 2024 murders and attempted murders of children and adults. Under the Mental Health Act, authorities had no choice but to accept the clinical recommendation. Rudakubana, now 19, allegedly attacked a prison officer with boiling water at Belmarsh in May 2025.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said he will remain locked up and is unlikely to ever be released. The cost of holding patients in secure hospitals exceeds £300,000 per year, compared to roughly £60,000 for a prisoner.