The taxi driver who drove Axel Rudakubana to the children’s dance class where he carried out the Southport knife attack waited 50 minutes before calling the police, an inquiry has heard.
Gary Poland, who picked Rudakubana up from his home in Banks, Lancashire, took nearly an hour to call 999 despite hearing children scream and seeing them fleeing the building in his rearview mirror as he drove away.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered by Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed class at the Hart Space on July 29 last year.
Rudakubana, who also attempted to murder 10 others in a sickening knife rampage, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January.
At Liverpool Town Hall, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye, the senior investigating officer, was asked by counsel to the public inquiry Nicholas Moss KC whether he would have expected a member of the public, acting responsibly, to have called 999 as soon as they got to a place of safety.
Mr Pye said: ‘Accepting that he had no duty of care, I would like to think, morally, that a call would be made.’
He added: ‘There was enough evidence that we had that he knew what was happening, yes you would have expected a phone call to come in.’
The hearing was told Rudakubana had left his home at 11.10am that day and called One Call Taxis a few minutes later, using an automated system which recognised his name as Simon.
Mr Pye said in Rudakubana’s Nokia phone, recovered from the scene of the attack, the then 17-year-old had the address of the studio stored with a number which correlated to a local taxi firm, save for one digit.
He also had One Call Taxis saved in the ‘basic’ phone, as well as the postcode for the event venue, which had been advertised on Instagram.
He was picked up by the taxi just after 11.30am and travelled for 14 minutes to Hart Street where he left the vehicle and walked away as Mr Poland asked how he was paying.
When Rudakubana did not pay despite repeated requests, Mr Poland said ‘you pay now or the police are on the f****** way, you knob’, the inquiry heard.
There was no audible response from the teenager, who entered the Hart Space building and went up stairs to the studio where 26 children were taking part in the holiday club.
The inquiry was told sounds of distress could be heard at 11.46am, just 29 seconds after Rudakubana entered the building.
Mr Moss asked Mr Pye: ‘That is testament to the speed of this horrifying incident?’
Mr Pye replied: ‘Absolutely.’
The inquiry heard the first child to escape the building, referred to as C3, came out as Mr Poland was beginning to drive away and had to change her direction because of his car as she ran out.
Mr Pye confirmed rear dashcam footage from the taxi showed children exiting the building behind the car and screaming could be heard.
Dashcam footage also showed Mr Poland looking in his rear view mirror, he said.
The inquiry heard at 12.36pm Mr Poland rang 999 and said: ‘I am just shook up. I can’t believe it. My heart’s going like I don’t know what.
‘I’ve picked him up, that lad that’s done something.’
He told the operator he was in ‘shock’ and said Rudakubana had not said anything during the drive but seemed ‘very, very odd’.
He added: ‘I was just about to drive off then I heard screaming, proper screaming.’
The inquiry was told that 27 seconds after Mr Poland heard screams, a 999 call was made by dance teacher Leanne Lucas, who had run out of the dance class with stab injuries.
Mr Poland told the operator: ‘I thought ‘what’s that?’ and there were young people running down the steps, just running down.’
Mr Pye was asked whether the delay in Mr Poland calling emergency services made any difference to the response.
He said: ‘That was a consideration I had to give as the senior investigator and I don’t believe it did.’
Mr Poland is expected to give evidence to the inquiry later this week.
