Southport Killer Axel Rudakubana Accused of Throwing Boiling Sugar Water at Belmarsh Officer

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana is accused of hurling boiling water mixed with sugar at a Belmarsh prison officer through the hatch of his cell door, a court heard on Monday.

The 20-year-old, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murdering three young girls, is charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm over the alleged attack at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London on 8 May 2025.

Prosecutor Catherine Pattison told Westminster Magistrates' Court that 'prompt medical attention prevented lasting injury' to the officer. Reports at the time said the officer was taken to hospital as a precaution and discharged the same day.

Rudakubana appeared by video link from Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire. He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and that he could hear the chief magistrate, and rested his head on his hand for much of the hearing.

He was not asked to enter pleas and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 19 October. The allegations have not been tested in court.

Four Charges Over Alleged Prison Incidents

Ms Pattison told the court that four charges relate to incidents since Rudakubana was incarcerated. Alongside attempted grievous bodily harm, he faces two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and one count of possessing an offensive weapon in prison.

The court heard that on 6 May 2025, two days before the alleged boiling water attack, Rudakubana allegedly threatened to 'soak' a female officer outside his cell if she refused to pass him a newspaper, then threw an 'unknown liquid' through the hatch. It caused no injury.

On 28 October 2025, he is alleged to have punched a male officer in the face after being challenged as he tried to walk past staff who wanted to establish whether he had taken certain medication.

The weapon charge relates to June 2025, when officers at Belmarsh allegedly found sharpened stone shards, 'seemingly prised from the floor of the defendant's cell', stuck to the underside of a shelving unit. Ms Pattison said that when questioned by an officer, he replied that he was keeping them 'for self-defence'.

The court also heard that after the alleged boiling water incident Rudakubana claimed prison staff had been poisoning his food. The claim was not tested at the hearing.

Transfer to Broadmoor High-Security Hospital

The Ministry of Justice confirmed in July that Rudakubana had been moved from prison to Broadmoor. Under the Mental Health Act 1983, prisoners can be transferred to secure psychiatric hospitals for treatment where the legal and clinical criteria are met.

A prisoner transferred to hospital can be returned to prison when they no longer meet the criteria for detention under the Mental Health Act. Broadmoor is the oldest of England's three high-security hospitals.

Southport Dance Class Murders

Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July 2024. He killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and tried to murder eight other children and two adults.

He admitted the offences and was jailed for life in January 2025 with a minimum term of 52 years. The attack was followed by days of disorder across England.