Gary Poland, the taxi driver who drove teenager Axel Rudakubana to the Hart Space studio in Southport on July 29, 2024, before the attack that killed three young girls, has had his private hire licence revoked by Sefton Council. Poland waited approximately 50 minutes before calling 999, despite witnessing children fleeing the scene.
Dashcam footage reveals delay
Footage from Poland's dashboard camera, played at a public inquiry into the massacre, showed him driving away while screaming children ran for their lives from the building. The attack, which occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed party, left Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, dead. Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured.
Poland told the inquiry via video link that he heard 'four or five gunshots' and believed there was a shooting, prompting him to leave the scene. He stated that he saw six- and seven-year-old children 'stampede for their lives' within 30 seconds of the attack beginning. Despite this, he drove off, called a friend, collected another passenger, and spoke with his wife before finally calling 999 upon arriving home.
Regret but no action
In a statement, Poland said: 'I regret not helping the children, their screams were harrowing and I can still hear them when I think back to that day.' However, Sefton Council's taxi licence conditions require drivers to call 999 if they believe a child or young person is in serious danger of immediate harm. The council revoked Poland's licence because he 'did not meet the appropriate standards.'
All taxi licensing hearings are held in private, and the council stated that the exact reason for the revocation is not made public. The inquiry found that the murders of the three girls 'could and should have been prevented' if multiple agencies had taken steps to stop Rudakubana, who was known to mental health, social care, and counter-extremism bodies before the attack.
Government accepts inquiry recommendations
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the government accepts the recommendations made by the first phase of the inquiry in full. Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford highlighted a 'fundamental failure' by any organisation or multi-agency arrangement to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to his attack. Mahmood stated: 'These devastating failures led to the senseless killing of three young girls and violent attacks on others. My thoughts today are first and foremost with the families and friends of Bebe, Elsie and Alice and all the victims of that awful day. We owe it to them to right these wrongs.'
