Axel Rudakubana 'could be returned to prison' after 'real possibility' of manipulating the system

Axel Rudakubana "could be returned to prison" despite his attempt to "manipulate the system" for an "easy get out", Danny Shaw has told GB News.

Speaking to the People's Channel, the police and crime commentator argued that it is "unusual" for a criminal to spend their entire sentence in a psychiatric hospital.

The families of the three girls murdered in the Southport attack have expressed their sadness after Rudakubana was transferred from Belmarsh Prison to Broadmoor secure hospital, with the families' lawyer saying they fear he is "manipulating the system".

New details have also emerged that the killer received visits from a Muslim Imam in prison before he was moved to Broadmoor, which will allow the triple child killer to visit a multi-faith sanctuary.

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Discussing the case, Mr Shaw told GB News that the assessors must feel that it is "not safe" for Rudakubana to be held in prison.

He said: "We don't know all the details about why he's being sent to Broadmoor other than the fact that doctors, psychiatrists, have determined that it's not safe for him to be held in a prison and that he should be transferred.

"Now, I defer to Mark Fairhurst, who's the Chairman of the Prison Officers Association on this because he has more information. He suggests that we need to take seriously what the the doctors have said.

"But at the same time, his view from having spoken to prison staff at Belmarsh was that this individual could be managed in prison, and that he believes that he is manipulating the system, and so I do think that is a real concern in this case."

However, Mr Shaw argued that a criminal's mental health "can deteriorate" during their time in custody, and may require treatment in a hospital.

He explained: "Just because a prisoner or an offender is fit to stand trial, it doesn't mean that their mental health stays exactly the same. Their mental health can deteriorate.

"It's also the case that some prisoners will be transferred to a mental health institution for a short period of time and then go back to prison when their health has stabilised, so I don't see this as like a sort of one-way trip. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rudakubana returns to a prison at some point."

Mr Shaw suggested that more information regarding his transfer and reason for it could still be released.

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He said: "It's something to do with his mental health that has been assessed by doctors.

"Whether he has hoodwinked them, whether he's manipulated them, hopefully we will find out when he's transferred to Broadmoor and there are further assessments there."

Mr Shaw made clear that the treatment and regime at the hospital is "no easy get out" compared to prison.

He told GB News: "Obviously it's a different regime, but there is very close supervision and monitoring. There are very many staff, it's 24 hours CCTV and there's mandatory treatment.

"So he will have to abide by the terms of the treatment that is administered to him, so don't think it's sort of like an easy guess out for him at all in that respect."

Mr Shaw concluded that there is a "real possibility" that Rudakubana has "manipulated the system".

He said: "I'm going to be honest with you, I'd be very surprised if he isn't returned to prison.

"What usually happens is that prisoners who go to secure institutions spend some time there while their mental health is assessed and stabilised.

"That may be through drugs, it may be through other interventions, and then they go back to jail.

"It's pretty unusual for an inmate to spend the whole of their life or the whole of their sentence in a mental health facility."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman has said: "The families of those murdered and injured in Southport will be in this country's heart forever, 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."

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