Merseyside’s police chief wanted to dispel misinformation in the immediate aftermath of the Southport murders by releasing information over Axel Rudakubana’s religion but was told not to by local crown prosecutors.
Chief constable Serena Kennedy told MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee that she planned to include the detail in a press release and conference being held on July 31, when the force announced Rudakubana, then unnamed, had been charged.
At the time, the police chief was aware of disinformation claiming the suspect in custody to be an asylum seeker and there had been a rise in hate crimes against the Muslim community, she told MPs.
Talk’s Kevin O’Sullivan discusses the story with New Culture Forum fellow Dr Philip Kiszely.
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