Taxi driver who took Southport killer to dance studio regrets not calling police
The taxi driver who drove the British teenager to the dance studio in Southport where he murdered three young girls told an inquiry he should have called police sooner.
Gary Poland said he drove away from the dance centre in the northern town of in blind panic and regretted waiting 50 minutes until calling police, the BBC reports.
Axel Rudakubana, 19, was jailed earlier this year to at least 52 years for killing the girls and stabbing 10 others last July.
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Law enforcement and other first responders stand near the scene of the stabbing attack on July 29, 2024 in Southport, England. Getty
Poland had believed loud bangs he had heard moments after dropping off Rudakubana were "gunshots", the inquiry heard overnight.
The taxi driver heard screaming and his vehicle dashcam recorded girls running from the venue.
"I should have called the police earlier," Poland told the inquiry, via video link.
"In hindsight I wish I had done and it's something I think about every day."
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed in a murder spree that shocked Britain.
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Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered in Southport, north-west England, in July 2024. Supplied
When Poland dropped Rudakubana at the studio he refused to pay and left the taxi before entering the building.
Loud bangs were then heard by Poland.
"It was terrifying," he said.
"You were fearful and in a state of shock.
"I just thought someone was shooting."
He said he then went into "panic mode".
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The Southport stabbings triggered a huge outpouring of grief across the UK. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell) AP
Poland also heard the victims screaming.
He said: "I did what I did because of fear, shock and panic. These are human emotions which I could not control."
The counsel to the inquiry said dashcam footage from the taxi shows the girls running alongside his vehicle, and showed Poland glancing in the rear view mirror.
In his statement to the inquiry, Poland said he had been unaware the children had been injured.
Under questioning, he admitted he should have stopped and called police as soon as he was out of harm's way.
The inquiry also heard a transcript of the phone call Poland made to friend showed him talking about his belief that the attacker had a firearm, but did not reflect him holding any concerns for the girls.
The inquiry was adjourned until next Monday.
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