A neighbour of Axel Rudakubana has claimed the Southport killer’s ricin stash killed her cat.
Caroline McDonald said police officers informed her that her cat, Jo-Jo, had entered the killer’s family home and back garden while they searched for the poison. Hours later, the cat suffered a seizure and died the following day, she said, adding that vets feared the cat had been poisoned.
The cat owner said she emailed Merseyside Police to ask if any harmful substances had been discovered at the suspect’s property, but she claimed that the following day a police inspector called her to say nothing dangerous had been found.
Yesterday, Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to all 16 counts he was charged with. They were three charges of murder; 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife – all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport, on July 29, 2024.
He was additionally charged on October 29 with production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974; and possessing information, namely a pdf file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Following his guilty plea, Rudakubana was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on January 23 for sentencing. The hearing is due to start at 11am.
Speaking out after Rudakubana pleaded guilty to production of ricin, Caroline said she was “livid” as she accused police of lying to her when they told her that no harmful substances had been found in the home. She told Mail Online: “The police have lied to my face. I am livid.
“They told me nothing harmful had been found at the house despite officers going in and out of the house wearing full hazmat suits. I heard the officers saying, ‘only 50 minutes exposure at any one time’, and then when they came out of the house, they had to shower down. They were all wearing full breathing apparatus.”
Weeks later, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said Rudakubana had been charged with producing ricin. Caroline added: “The police knew that there were chemicals in that house but didn’t inform the residents of the threat. When the police were washing everything down, all the water was running into my garden. The chances are my cat has eaten the grass that has contained ricin and that has killed him.
“I no longer have the cat so I can’t prove this but I am livid. What I do know is my healthy cat had got into that house and 24 hours later he is dead.” Caroline has since submitted a complaint and is demanding an explanation from the Independent Office of Police Complaints.
Merseyside Police said in a statement: “We can confirm we have received a complaint from a member of the public regarding the death of a cat on Old School Close. Specialist officers completed an extensive search at an address on Old School Close following the murders of three children in Southport on Monday, July 29.
“The complaint will now be investigated by Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department. As a complaint has been received it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
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