The officers drew a baton and a taser as they came face-to-face with the Southport murderer
Three police officers who hit Axel Rudakubana with a baton and detained him following the Southport murders have been honoured for their bravery. Sergeant Gregory Gillespie, Constable Luke Holden and police community support officer (PCSO) Timothy Parry were the first officers to arrive on the scene at the Hart Space in Southport last year.
Rudakubana, 18, who murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and injured 10 others including eight children, was confronted by the officers as he stood at the top of a flight of stairs holding a large knife.
The Merseyside Police officers were the “overall winners” of the Police Federation of England and Wales’ (PFEW) 2025 bravery awards held on Thursday, July 10.
PS Gillespie was the first to arrive at Hart Street in Southport and described seeing “chaos”, with “extremely panicked” people in the street, with many having armed themselves with items to use as weapons, the PFEW said.
Upon exiting his vehicle, PS Gillespie saw a seriously injured child. He shared this information via his radio and directed a paramedic to assist the child before he continued to the premises where he believed the suspect was located.
By this time, PC Holden and PCSO Parry had also arrived and all three watched as people ran away carrying young children. The glass panelled door of The Hart Space where the workshop was being held was smashed and PS Gillespie drew his baton, while PC Holden drew his taser as PSCO Parry covered the exit.
They walked up the stairs to the studio where they were faced with Rudakubana holding a large kitchen knife.
PC Holden red dotted the suspect and both officers shouted at him to drop the knife, while they continued to approach him. PCSO Parry ran up the stairs after hearing the shouts to help his colleagues.
While doing so the officers passed another seriously injured young child. As they approached the killer, the knife was dropped, but due to his actions it was necessary for the officers to strike Rudakubana with a baton and give numerous kicks to get him under control on the floor before he was handcuffed and arrested.
On the day of the horrific attack, the officers then continued to instruct other members of the public to help with first aid before continuing to search the premises for injured people or other potential suspects.
In the room behind where the suspect was detained a further seriously injured young child was found, and in a separate room the officers located a young girl and adult female who had been hiding from Rudakubana.
In another room a further group of males were located hiding, all shaking with fear and one with a stab wound to his leg, who were guided out by the officers.
By this time, more officers and paramedics had arrived at the location to assist those who had been injured.
Due to the actions of Rudakubana, three young children were tragically killed, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King. A further 10 other people, including young children and adults, were attacked and stabbed, in an attack described later in court as a “meticulously planned rampage”.
Rudakubana was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years in January, after pleading guilty to the murders.
PFEW national chairwoman Tiff Lynch said of all the winners of the bravery awards: “Whether confronting violent attackers, rescuing individuals from life-threatening situations, or making split-second decisions under immense pressure, these officers have shown exceptional courage and selflessness.”
