Children make up nearly 70% of referrals over extreme violence obsession, shock figures reveal

MOST referrals to the Government’s anti-terror scheme for an obsession with extreme violence are for children, figures show. Rising numbers of kids are now fascinated by bloodshed and mass-casualty attacks. Children make up nearly 70% of referrals over extreme violence obsession Credit: Getty Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times Credit: PA Home Office data shows 566 of the 818 referrals to Prevent for violent obsessions in England and Wales involved under-18s, equivalent to almost 70 per cent. Shockingly, 31 children aged ten years or even younger were referred to the programme. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! And children made up an even greater proportion of cases serious enough to be considered for support by the programme with 72 percent of cases in this category involved children. The figures from between October 2024 and September 2025 reveal the strikingly young profile of those being referred to the Government’s counter-extremism programme over an interest in extreme violence or mass-casualty attacks. But the case of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, referred to Prevent three times, was closed because he had no clear extremist ideology. A recent report found that two-thirds of kids referred to Prevent in all categories are sent back to schools. Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Simply returning children, without a clear understanding of what is driving their behaviour or who will be responsible for meeting their needs, risks missing opportunities to provide support.” Others may share extreme ­pornography or encourage peers to self-harm Most read in The Sun The Home Office was contacted for comment. Comment now