Southport murderer facing trial next year over alleged 'prison napalm' attack which left guard in hospital

Published: 09:55 EDT, 19 October 2026 | Updated: 09:55 EDT, 19 October 2026 Southport killer Axel Rudakubana is facing a trial next year for allegedly throwing boiling water mixed with sugar at a prison officer after believing staff poisoned his food.The 20-year-old murderer appeared at the Old Bailey today charged with carrying out a string of attacks at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London.He was not asked to enter pleas during the 15-minute hearing, at which he appeared via videolink from Broadmoor hospital wearing a black and grey hooded top.Rudakubana sat with his left hand resting on the side of his face, then began rubbing his forehead before folding his arms and wobbling his head from side to side.Three members of staff sat behind him for the hearing, at which he spoke to confirm his name.The murderer – currently serving a 52-year sentence for his 2024 atrocity which sparked riots across the country – is said to have struck by throwing the concoction, known as 'prison napalm', through a hatch in his cell door at the category-A jail on May 8 last year.The male officer was left without long-lasting injuries only due to urgent medical attention. He is said to have been released from hospital later that day and returned to work.Two days earlier, Rudakubana allegedly threatened to 'soak' a female officer outside his cell if she did not pass him a newspaper and then threw an 'unknown liquid' at her, causing no damage. Axel Rudakubana, appearing via videolink from Broadmoor Hospital at a previous hearing, is accused of assaulting prison officers Rudakubana was convicted of murder over the Southport massacreRudakubana also allegedly 'punched a male officer who had challenged the defendant when he had attempted to walk past officers seeking to establish if he had taken certain medication', on October 28 2025.Prosecutors said that in June last year, Rudakubana had allegedly sharpened stone shards at the prison, 'seemingly prised from the floor of the defendant's cell', which were found stuck to the underside of a shelving unit.Rudakubana claimed after the alleged boiling water attack that prison officers had been poisoning his food, the court heard.He is charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and possession of an offensive weapon in prison.The court heard he faces a potential trial in October next year, with a hearing held in February to determine what will happen. Rudakubana, now 20, was given a life sentence for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults.In July this year, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that he was transferred from prison to Broadmoor.Offenders who present an increased risk and cannot be managed safely in a prison environment because of mental disorders can be moved to secure psychiatric units.People in these units are treated as patients rather than prisoners. Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were murdered by Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29, 2024Broadmoor, in Berkshire, is the oldest of the UK's three high-security hospitals and has held some of the UK's most high-profile criminals, including Ronnie Kray and serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper.Under the Mental Health Act, officials acting for the Justice Secretary have no choice but to accept the advice of clinical professionals to transfer prisoners to a secure facility.An offender in a secure hospital will be compelled to engage with treatment and to undertake therapies before any return to prison or release into the community.Where offenders no longer require treatment in hospital, the Act allows a swift return to prison.