Dave E.

The police were gagged from releasing vital information about Axel Rudakubana in the wake of the Southport murders, according to sources. Merseyside detectives had wanted to provide details about the killer’s background, including his religion and his crimes, but were warned not to do so by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). They had also been keen to explain more about a terrorist document and batch of ricin found at his home but were advised against it, police sources have told The Telegraph. Following Rudakubana’s guilty pleas on Monday, prosecutors also tried to block details of a pre-trial briefing held by Merseyside Police being reported. The police and politicians knew Rudakubana had terrorist material shortly after the attack but the public was not told. The decision not to be more transparent has been blamed for fuelling the riots and there are growing suspicions that the information was not released in an attempt to ensure community harmony. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, who used to be head of the CPS, insisted in a speech from Downing Street on Tuesday morning that information had to be kept secret to prevent any future trial collapsing. Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, admitted on Tuesday that the police’s actions reflected the CPS’s advice but he defended the lack of transparency around the case. However, Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has said far more information could have been put into the public domain by the Government and the police without prejudicing legal proceedings. Critics, including Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, have warned that the public will continue to suspect a cover-up until Sir Keir explains exactly why he failed to give the public more information about the attacks. The day after the attack, detectives searching Rudakubana’s home discovered a suspicious substance, which was subsequently confirmed to be the deadly poison ricin. In the following days, police also seized an al-Qaeda training manual entitled Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants, which suggested Rudakubana had an interest in Islamist extremism and terrorism. But details of the discoveries were kept under wraps for another three months until Rudakubana was charged at the end of October with the extra offences of producing a biological toxin and possession of a document useful to a person preparing a terrorist act. A police source told The Telegraph there was frustration among those working on the case that they were being prevented from saying more. The source said: “As far as they are concerned the more information that is in the public domain the better as it negates the speculation and conspiracies”. Just hours after Rudakubana carried out his murderous attack at the Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport, misinformation began to circulate online suggesting he was a newly arrived illegal Muslim immigrant. In an effort to dispel the false rumours, Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside Police issued a statement confirming that the suspect had been born in Cardiff. Sources have told The Telegraph the force was also keen to highlight that Rudakubana was from a Christian family but held off on the advice of the CPS. On Monday, the CPS even attempted to prevent the media from reporting a police background briefing in which details of Rudakubana’s behaviour and mindset were disclosed. This included how he had been prevented from carrying out a suspected attack on his former school just days earlier and how he stockpiled weapons, books and documents on terrorism and genocide. Mr Parkinson is understood to have expressed concern that the full details had not been set out in court, even though Rudakubana had pleaded guilty to charges and so any risk of prejudice had gone. Continued…