Council revokes taxi licence over Southport attack driver response

Sefton Council has revoked Gary Poland’s taxi licence after concluding his response to the Southport attack fell below the standards expected of a driver carrying children and families. The Southport Inquiry found that Poland waited 50 minutes to call 999 after hearing the screams of children fleeing the Hart Space in Southport, even as the attack unfolded around him.

The council’s review focused on whether Poland remained fit to hold a licence after he picked up Axel Rudakubana from Banks, Lancashire, on 29 July 2024, drove him to Hart Street and then drove away as children emerged from the building. The first child to escape, referred to as C3, came out as Poland was beginning to leave, while children were visible in the taxi’s rear dashcam running alongside the vehicle.

Poland told the inquiry he went into “panic mode” and believed there had been a shooting. He said he could still hear the screams later and described them as “harrowing.” He first phoned a friend, collected another fare and spoke to his wife before eventually calling emergency services at 12:36 BST.

Its licensing conditions require drivers to be in a good position to help keep children and young people safe and to call 999 if they believe a child is in immediate danger.

The Southport attack took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop at the Hart Space. Rudakubana, then 17, murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. He also attempted to murder 10 others, leaving eight other children and two adults severely wounded.

The Southport Inquiry, established in 2025, published phase one of its report on 13 April 2026. Sefton Council said in September 2025 that it would investigate whether Poland’s conduct on 29 July 2024 was appropriate.