Instead, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, said the government should consider a new law to tackle those bent on mass killings, with a penalty of life in prison.
Mr Hall’s review was commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in January to examine terror legislation “in light of modern threats we face”.
Nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar (L), seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King (Photo: MERSEYSIDE POLICE / AFP)
Axel Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders of three girls and attempted murders of eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year.
Rudakubana’s acts of extreme violence were not considered terrorism under existing laws because there was no evidence of his purpose being to advance an ideological cause as set out in the terror definition.
There were also accusations of a cover-up because police had released few details about the suspect to prevent prejudicing a later trial.
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana (Photo: MERSEYSIDE POLICE / AFP)
Police and security services have warned of a growth in the number of would-be terrorists whose motivation was hard to determine.
He said it would risk the prosecution of those who were “by no stretch of the imagination” terrorists and lead to unacceptable restrictions on freedom of expression.
He also said “near silence” was no longer an option and that if the police did not take the lead with accurate information, others would fill the gap.
The watchdog recommended creating an offence to prevent mass casualty attacks before they happen, similar to terrorism offences applying to an offender preparing for an attack.
He set out for the Government to consider a new offence where an individual with an intention of killing two or more people engages with any preparation to carry out that intention.
“Today’s report is an important step in that search for answers, and to tackle horrific acts driven by a fixation on extreme violence.
“We also agree that we must look at how social media is putting long-established principles around how we communicate after an attack like this under strain.
“The wider public inquiry in the Southport tragedy will soon be set up to get the country the answers we need.”
With agencies
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