The Southport attacker contacted two archery retailers when he was 15 asking if they could deliver crossbows in “discreet” packaging, a public inquiry has heard.
Two years after emailing the firms, Axel Rudakubana killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.
Bradley Sutherland, director of MB Outdoors, which runs Tactical Archery, one of the retailers Rudakubana contacted, said an email signed “A” was received by the company in May 2022.
In it, Rudakubana said: “I would like to purchase from Tactical Archery but I would prefer discreet packaging which doesn’t provide any information on what is inside the box”.
He wrote: “Could I see a photo of what the external packaging of your products look like?”
When the company told Rudakubana that grey packaging bags were used when sending out crossbows he emailed again and said: “Does the crossbow packaging say ‘Tactical Archery’ on it or any other branding?”
He emailed a third time with the same question, the inquiry was told.
Harriet Wakeman, counsel to the inquiry, said: “He was going to quite some lengths to determine the nature of the packaging on the crossbow that he may have been seeking to order?”
Mr Sutherland replied: “Yes, you could say that looking at it from hindsight.”
He said the killer’s inquiries were not unusual enough to raise any cause for concern at the time.
It is against the law to sell a crossbow to a child unless there are reasonable grounds to believe them to be 18 or older, the inquiry heard.
The hearing was told that on the same day as his initial contact with Tactical Archery, Rudakubana emailed a second archery retailer, Merlin Archery, to ask: “If I bought an 18 plus product how would you verify my age, do you verify ID online or does the delivery person check my ID at my door?
“Also, do I have to be 18 to receive the product when it’s at my door?”
Managing director of Merlin Archery, Benjamin Jones, was asked by counsel to the inquiry Richard Boyle: “It’s hard to see why an adult would ask that question, isn’t it?”
Mr Jones replied: “Yes, I would agree.”
The company replied to Rudakubana with details on the age verification process – he emailed twice after to ask about discreet packaging.
The inquiry heard he did not purchase anything from either company.
The directors of both companies set out the age verification processes they used when selling items for over-18s.
Mr Jones said the vast majority of “inappropriate questions” received by his company, which also sells archery equipment, were related to crossbow sales.
He said: “In the last 12 months we have found it necessary to contact the police three times.”
The inquiry continues.
