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An inquiry has heard how the brother of Axel Rudakubana became "increasingly wary" about the Southport killer's "violent outbursts". Giving evidence at the Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall, Dion Rudakubana said his brother's violent outbursts became more frequent in 2019. Axel's family, parents Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire and older brother Dion, 21, are the final participants to give evidence to the inquiry, which is examining potential missed opportunities to prevent the attack, reports the Liverpool Echo . Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Rudakubana, referred to as AR in the inquiry proceedings, was 17 when he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport last July. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years after admitting the offences on the first day of his trial in January. Senior counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC previously told the inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, that a "significant" theme of the proceedings would be the now 19-year-old's relationship with his family, particularly his behaviour the week before the attack and what their knowledge was of his repeated online orders for weapons. During his opening, Mr Moss said: "It may be said to be apparent that AR's parents were aware of...aspects of AR's conduct that might have been expected to give rise to a concern." Giving evidence to the inquiry remotely, Dion Rudakubana was asked by Mr Moss about his brother's violent nature growing up. Dion Rudakubana told the inquiry how he became a wheelchair user at 12, meaning his parents had to help him more and give him more attention. Asked about how this affected the relationship with his brother, he said: "There was tension that came about...up until that age he got more attention than I did because he was younger than me so there was a shift in focus around that time." Asked if his brother resented this, Dion Rudakubana said: "Yes, it was never explicitly stated by him as that, but it did coincide, yeah." The inquiry heard how in September 2019 Rudakubana's mood deteriorated. Dion R said: "I don't necessarily just refer to violent outbursts. He was less happy. He was quite despondent. His frustration as a result of his low moods and outbursts, yes it was concerning." It was now when Dion Rudakubana became "increasingly wary" of his younger brother, with no particular topics seeming to cause the aggression. The inquiry heard how Rudakubana would have "frequent outbursts". He said: "If there was an outburst as a result of a dispute he would become violent towards a person. "It may not result in him hitting someone but I would also use the word violent in the intensity of the situation." When asked by Mr Moss how many of Rudakubana's outbursts would be violent, Dion Rudakubana said they were "probably a few times a week". Dion Rudakubana told the inquiry how his violence became worse after his expulsion from school in 2019, saying his brother's behaviour "deteriorated quickly". "The family routine and togetherness which we once had started to fade when I lost the ability to walk - after AR's expulsion it broke down completely". He continued: "AR's behaviour remained unpredictable and inconsistent. He continued to have outbursts and be violent though I didn't witness everything directly. "I remember he became increasingly withdrawn and I knew I had to be cautious if I did speak to him". He added that by the beginning of the COVID pandemic these arguments had worsened. Rudakubana's family have not attended the proceedings in person and have been granted permission by inquiry chair Sir Adrian Fulford to give evidence via video link. Only Sir Adrian and counsel to both the inquiry and the core participants are able to see the family member giving evidence, with the monitoring screens displaying a blank picture for anyone else in the inquiry hall. The inquiry has already heard from investigating and responding police officers; Rudakubana's taxi driver on the day of the attack; online knife sellers; counter terrorism officers; the government; mental health providers; his schools; and the social media company X. The first phase of the inquiry, which is due to be completed by the end of the week, continues.
