A taxi driver involved in the tragic events surrounding the Southport knife attack has had his license revoked following a review of his conduct. Gary Poland, the driver who transported the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, to the scene, will no longer be able to operate as a licensed private hire driver after Sefton Council determined he did not meet the required standards.

Delayed Police Notification Following Attack

The incident in question occurred on July 29, 2024, when Rudakubana, then 17 years old, carried out a devastating knife attack at a children’s center in Southport. The attack resulted in the deaths of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe. Eight other children and two adults sustained injuries.

During the subsequent Southport Inquiry, it was revealed that Mr. Poland dropped Rudakubana off at the Hart Space center. Shortly after, he reported hearing screams and seeing children fleeing the building. He also claimed to have heard what he believed to be four or five gunshots. Despite witnessing this chaos, Mr. Poland reportedly waited approximately 50 minutes before contacting the police.

Evidence presented during the inquiry indicated that instead of immediately alerting authorities, Mr. Poland, an experienced private hire driver, made two phone calls to a friend and picked up another fare. A transcript from one of these calls, presented at a previous hearing, included Mr. Poland stating, “He just f****** shot everyone ain’t he?” He eventually contacted officers after returning home to report his knowledge of the teenager.

Driver’s Account and Remorse

In his statements during earlier inquest hearings, Mr. Poland expressed regret for his delayed actions. He stated, “I consider that I should have called police earlier. In hindsight, I wish I had done and it’s something that I do think about every day, what I should have done and how this is my fault because I drove him there. I should have checked on the welfare of the children and helped.”

Mr. Poland explained his initial hesitation by citing his belief that there was an active gunman and that he might be targeted, given his recent interaction with Rudakubana over the fare. “I thought there was a gunman shooting at people and I believed this to be the person who I had just been shouting at to pay me a fare and threatened to call the police, so I did believe that I was in danger of being a target,” he said. He added, “I regret not helping the children. Their screams were harrowing and I can still hear them when I think back to that day.”

Licensing Review and Revocation

Following the incident, Mr. Poland’s actions became the subject of a licensing investigation by Sefton Council. A spokesperson for the council confirmed, “Mr Poland no longer holds a taxi driver licence following a review into his fitness to hold it by the local authority. The council found he did not meet the appropriate standards.”

Mr. Poland’s appeal against the council’s decision was unsuccessful. Mark Toohey, Sefton Council’s head of taxi licensing, informed the inquiry that drivers are given the opportunity to present their case before any licensing decision is made. “We have a licensing panel and a driver such as Mr Poland would be invited to make representations and supply any information that he thought was relevant to support him before any decision was made,” Toohey stated.

Inquiry Recommendations and Government Response

The revocation of Mr. Poland’s license comes as the Southport Inquiry continues its work. The first phase of the inquiry, led by Sir Adrian Fulford, concluded that the murders “could and should have been prevented” due to systemic failures by various agencies. Rudakubana had reportedly been in contact with numerous services, including police, counter-terrorism units, youth justice, social care, and the NHS, in the years leading up to the attack.

One of the key recommendations emerging from the inquiry’s initial phase is a proposal to mandate that licensed taxi drivers promptly report serious crimes they witness while working. The Department for Transport has indicated it expects to implement this recommendation by late 2027, with failure to report potentially jeopardizing a driver’s license.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged the “fundamental failings” identified by the inquiry across public services. “These devastating failures led to the senseless killing of three young girls and violent attacks on others,” she stated. “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.” The government has accepted Sir Adrian’s recommendations for central government action and pledged to implement them with urgency.

Future of the Inquiry

The Southport Inquiry is scheduled to resume with a preliminary hearing next week, ahead of the second phase commencing in London in September. The ongoing investigation aims to thoroughly examine the circumstances leading to the tragedy and to propose measures to prevent similar events in the future.