Axel Rudakubana has been transferred from Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, prompting criticism from prison union representatives who claim he is manipulating the system, despite officials insisting the move was made purely on clinical grounds.
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been moved from Belmarsh prison to Broadmoor secure hospital, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed. The 19-year-old was transferred earlier this week after officials determined he could not be safely managed within a standard prison environment. The move has drawn criticism from some prison representatives, who have questioned whether Rudakubana is attempting to manipulate the system in order to secure a more comfortable environment, while the Ministry of Justice has stressed the decision was based entirely on independent clinical assessment.
How the transfer came about
Rudakubana was transferred under the Mental Health Act after independent psychiatrists concluded he required treatment in a high-security hospital rather than continued imprisonment. According to the Ministry of Justice, the decision was made solely on clinical grounds following independent medical assessments, and remains subject to regular review. Broadmoor is one of three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, housing patients considered to pose a grave risk to the public. Security measures at the hospital include 24-hour supervision, secure wards and controlled movement, with patients unable to leave unless authorised under strict legal procedures.
Should doctors later determine that Rudakubana no longer requires hospital treatment, he can be transferred back to prison to continue serving his sentence.
Sentence remains unchanged
Officials have been clear that the transfer does not affect Rudakubana’s sentence in any way. He will continue serving his 52-year custodial term, with any time spent at Broadmoor counting towards that sentence. The Ministry of Justice has reiterated that the move does not make him eligible for earlier release, and continues to expect he will spend the remainder of his natural life in custody.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The families of those murdered and injured in Southport will be in this country’s heart for ever and our thoughts remain with them. The offender who carried out these vile crimes will rightly spend the entirety of his 52-year custodial sentence locked up, and is unlikely to ever be released. High secure hospitals are not places of freedom. He will remain under constant supervision in a high-security psychiatric unit, and be returned to prison as soon as possible. The transfer of an offender follows a robust independent clinical assessment.”
Criticism from prison union
Mark Fairhurst, national chair of the POA union, which represents prison, correctional and secure psychiatric staff, said his members believe Rudakubana is “playing the system” in order to move to a more comfortable setting. Speaking to the Guardian, Fairhurst said: “[Rudakubana] is not mentally unwell. He is playing the system and is nothing more than evil. He should spend his entire sentence in solitary confinement staring at four walls.”
The decision has prompted further criticism from some victims’ advocates and prison representatives, who argue Rudakubana should remain in prison. Mental health experts, however, have stressed that hospital transfers of this kind are determined by clinical need rather than prisoner preference, and are carried out only following independent medical assessment.
