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Southport murder trial triggers soul-searching over UK approach to terror and justice

When the teenager, Axel Rodakobana, began a deadly madness in the coastal town of Soutbort last July, not only destroyed the lives of his victims and families, but also sent shock waves across British society.

On Thursday, the 18 -year -old received a 52 years imprisonment for a while As for the killing of three young girls and the dirty of 10 other people, a terrible one was followed by a wave of misleading information online and riots for migration throughout England.

When the full details of the recently disturbing history of Rudakubana appeared this week, it sparked an angry discussion about the UK’s approach to opening justice, as well as the state’s understanding of modern terrorism.

Rudakubana was arrested at the scene of the accident last July in the killing of Taylor Swift’s dance category, still standing over a child’s body with a kitchen knife in his hand.

In the days and weeks that followed, the police released a very little details. The misleading information began to spread online, including incorrect allegations that the attacker was an illegal immigrant.

Violent race riots were followed and the authorities were subsequently accused of covering up, especially those on the right of British policy.

Baby King, Elsi Dot Stancombi and Alice da Silva Aghar
The three murdered girls, from the left, Baby King, Elsi Dot Stancombi and Alice da Silva Aghar © MERSEYSIDE POLICE

This is the claim that the police, prosecutors and Prime Minister Sir Kerr Starmer, a senior lawyer and former prosecutor, has repeatedly denied.

“If this trial collapses because or any other person revealed decisive details while the police were investigating – while building the case, while we were waiting for a verdict – the evil person who committed these crimes had moved away a free man, Starmer said on Tuesday.

Starmer’s position, and prosecutors, is based on a British contempt for the laws of the court that dates back to the early eighties, and which restricts the information that can be issued before the trial to prevent the jury swinging.

However, lawyer Jonathan Hall KC, who is currently reviewing terrorism legislation of the government, described the state’s interpretation of the law of contempt in the “caution” case.

He told the police, as he told the Financial Times, which was safely released the era of Rodakobana, race, nationality, his hometown of Cardiff, and the fact that he was from a Rwandan Christian background.

His name was more complicated, as he was 17 years old at the time, but Hall said that the prosecutors could have applied to the court to do so.

Rioters
Riots were provided throughout England last summer with annoying information that Rodakobana was an illegal immigrant © Holly Adams/Reuters

“Imagine if [police] He had made a clear, calm, reliable, honest and transparent statement on Twitter [now X] Early, he said.

“Some people will believe, of course, the worst, or in conspiracy theory, but most people are looking for information.”

Hall said that the silence of the state may be paradoxes to result in a trial, because the jury could have been misleading in their minds instead.

He said that the judicial system will now lead to “well to improve” its understanding of what “control” means in the era of social media, while the contempt of court laws has been reviewed for decades.

The case also sparked a discussion about the country’s understanding and response of terrorism.

Within days of Soutbort killings, the police discovered that Rodakobana had a base training guide.

Prosecutors later argue that this has been used to plan the attack. He also manufactured faty toxins in his bedroom, before storing him in a plastic box under his bed.

However, while he was accused of possessing terrorism -related materials, he was not accused of being linked to a terrorist act. Even the police, who was working in the investigation, said they initially fought to understand the reason.

“I say: Isn’t this terrorism now, isn’t this terrorism now, isn’t this terrorism now?” The senior investigation officials Jason Bay, chief inspector of the Mercyside Police Investigation, have been remembered for his talks with prosecutors with evidence to be revealed.

He said that the charge of terrorism would make its achievement more clear. Under terrorist legislation, Rodakobana could have been arrested for seven days.

Without this, the police had a maximum of 72 hours to put their case together and collect medical evidence related to the 13 victims.

“This just meant that we have time to do a lot of things,” said Bay from a terrorist charge.

According to public prosecutors, the huge scope of materials on 43 Rudakubana devices – as well as his lack of his interpretation of his actions in the interview – means that he cannot be charged under the terrorist law of 2000.

This defines terrorism as “for the purpose of progress in a political, religious or ideological issue.” It was later updated to include racist ideology.

Of more than 164,000 seized documents, it was a violent material related to the Nazis, Gaza, Grozny and Iraq, as well as footage of The attack on the bishop, Mar Mary Emmanuel In Australia last April.

“He was not fighting for a case,” said Public Prosecutor Diana Heer on Thursday. “His only goal was to kill.”

Starmer said this week that he understood, “Why do people ask what the word” terrorism “means.

He added: “Thus, if the law needs to change to recognize this new and dangerous threat, we will change it – and soon.”

However, Hall, who is now reviewing the legislation of Interior Minister Evit Cooper, said he is “skeptical” in expanding the definition of terrorism.

He said that the network dumping more widely can bring individuals like rioters in football or organized criminals.

The Rudakubana case also prompted questions about the quality of Britain’s anti -flexible agencies in Britain to deal with young people who focus on violence.

In 2022, 15 years old, he told the Lancashire police that he thought about poisoning people and making poison for this purpose, which he later did. The force said it would not hang more before a public investigation.

Rudakubana has also been referred to the government to combat equivalence program three times between 2019 and 2021.

Initially he was referred at the age of 13, when his school noticed that he was looking for online schools.

After that, a mark was placed on Instagram about the former Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi, while it was found that in April 2021 he was looking for London Bridge’s terrorist attacks for the year 2017 at school.

On every occasion, preventing the closure of the case, noting that there was no cohesive ideology behind his actions. The interest of the anti -terrorism police has not become.

Speaking before the issuance of the ruling, Vicky Evans, senior police coordinator to combat terrorism, said that at the time of his referral, the program did not understand a new generation of extremists.

She said: “At that time, the partnership’s response to the increasing confirmation with severe violence was developing, but it was less developed than it is today.”

“Although improvements to help in facing this challenge have been made, it is correct that questions be asked about what to do more,” she added.

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2025-01-24 18:06:00

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