The father of the Southport killer has been told of the “complete disdain” felt for him by the families of three girls murdered by his son.
Giving evidence to the Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday, Alphonse Rudakubana said he was “desperately sorry” for the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were murdered by his son Axel Rudakubana on July 29 last year.
Nicholas Bowen KC, representing the bereaved families, said: “They have complete disdain for your excuses and the manner in which you have answered questions.”
Mr Bowen was stopped by inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford who told him: “That’s not appropriate at all.”
When asked by Mr Bowen if there was anything he wanted to say to the parents Mr Rudakubana said he cried for them.
He said: “I cry for them all the time because I have a reminder (of) my son who turned to be a monster.
“When I cry for him I remember them and cry for them.
“I’m so ashamed. I lost the courage to save their little angels. I’m so sorry.”
He said he still loved his son “so much” and told the inquiry: “I know he is dangerous but he is my son.”
He added: “I think the love I had for him overrode good judgment.”
Mr Rudakubana appeared to cry at one point during his evidence when he was asked if he had feared Rudakubana had gone to carry out an attack after realising he had left their home in Old School Close, Banks, Lancashire, on the morning of July 29 2024.
He said: “The only hope I was hanging on to was that he didn’t take anything, he didn’t take a bag and I didn’t imagine that he would carry a knife somewhere else.
“I was just clinging onto the hope that he is going for a walk, if he was carrying a bag I would have ran out.”
He said he later learnt from a message from someone in his church group about the attack.
He said: “I immediately feared that AR could be involved.”
He said he did not have any idea why Rudakubana chose to target innocent young girls at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
He said: “I don’t understand how he got there and he chose that place.”
The inquiry is due to hear from Rudakubana’s mother Laetitia Muzayire later on Thursday.
