The taxi driver who transported Axel Rudakubana to the Southport dance class massacre waited nearly an hour before calling police, despite hearing children screaming and seeing them fleeing the building in his rear-view mirror, a public inquiry has heard.
Gary Poland, who picked up the teenage killer from his home in Banks, Lancashire, took 50 minutes to dial 999 after witnessing clear signs of distress as children ran from the Hart Space building on 29 July last year.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered by Rudakubana at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The then 17-year-old, who also attempted to murder 10 others in the horrific knife rampage, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January.
At Liverpool Town Hall on Monday, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye, the senior investigating officer, told the inquiry he would have expected a member of the public to call emergency services immediately upon reaching safety.
When asked by counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC about moral expectations, 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 inquiry heard disturbing details of how Rudakubana had methodically planned the attack. The teenager left his home at 11:10am and called One Call Taxis minutes later, using an automated system that recognised his name as Simon.
Investigators discovered Rudakubana had stored the dance studio’s address in his Nokia phone, recovered from the scene, along with a number for a local taxi firm that was incorrect by just one digit. He had also saved One Call Taxis and the postcode for the Hart Space venue, which had been advertised on Instagram.
Mr Poland collected Rudakubana just after 11:30am for the 14-minute journey to Hart Street. When they arrived, the teenager walked away from the vehicle without paying, prompting an angry response from the driver.
You pay now or the police are on the f****** way, you knob,” Mr Poland shouted at Rudakubana, who made no audible response before entering the Hart Space building.
The inquiry heard chilling evidence about the speed of the attack. Sounds of distress could be heard at 11:46am, just 29 seconds after Rudakubana entered the building where 26 children were participating in the holiday dance class.
“That is testament to the speed of this horrifying incident?” Mr Moss asked Mr Pye, who replied: “Absolutely.”
As Mr Poland began driving away, the first child to escape, referred to as C3, had to change direction to avoid his taxi. Rear dashcam footage from the vehicle captured children fleeing the building behind the car, with their screams clearly audible. The footage also showed Mr Poland looking in his rear-view mirror as the horror unfolded.
Despite witnessing these distressing scenes, Mr Poland did not call 999 until 12:36pm, telling the operator: “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 emergency operator he was in “shock” and described Rudakubana as seeming “very, very odd” during the journey, though the teenager had not spoken.
“I was just about to drive off then I heard screaming, proper screaming,” Mr Poland said. “I thought ‘what’s that?’ and there were young people running down the steps, just running down.”
The inquiry was told that dance teacher Leanne Lucas, who had fled the class with stab injuries, made a 999 call just 27 seconds after Mr Poland heard the screams.
When questioned about whether Mr Poland’s delay in contacting emergency services affected the response, Mr Pye said: “That was a consideration I had to give as the senior investigator and I don’t believe it did.”
The inquiry also heard testimony about the heroic response of officers who arrived at the scene. Police Sergeant Greg Gillespie paused for just six seconds before entering the building armed only with a baton, despite being warned the attacker had a knife.
After requesting backup from an officer equipped with a taser, Sergeant Gillespie was joined by PC Luke Holden and PCSO Timothy Parry. Mr Pye told the inquiry: “Greg asked, is he ready to go in? And with very, very little delay, they enter.”
The two officers entered the Hart Space at 11:57am, leaving PCSO Parry to guard the door, just six seconds after the additional officers arrived.
Mr Poland is expected to give his own evidence to the inquiry later this week. Previous reports from August indicated he had been deeply traumatised by the events, with his wife Lynn revealing at the time that he felt “devastated” and “responsible,” and was unable to discuss what happened.
The Southport Inquiry, which opened in July 2025, is being conducted in two phases under the Inquiries Act 2005. The first phase, currently underway, focuses on the immediate circumstances of the attack and the responses of police, emergency services and other public bodies.
The second phase, expected to begin in autumn 2025, will examine broader systemic issues including youth radicalisation, the effectiveness of the Prevent programme and inter-agency safeguarding protocols.
The inquiry is expected to examine whether public bodies failed in their legal obligations under Article 2 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to take reasonable steps to prevent the attack. This includes assessing whether there were sufficient warning signs that were appropriately escalated and whether communication between agencies was adequate.
Core participants in the inquiry include the families of the victims, Merseyside Police, Lancashire Constabulary, the Home Office and Prevent programme officials. A final report with findings and recommendations for reform is expected in early 2026.
The testimony has raised difficult questions about moral obligations and public responsibility in emergency situations, though the senior investigating officer confirmed the delay did not ultimately affect the emergency response to the tragedy that shocked the nation.
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