Taxi driver who fled Southport attack scene stripped of licence following Sefton Council review
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
A taxi driver who unknowingly took Southport killer Axel Rudakubana to the scene of the July 2024 murders has been stripped of his taxi driver’s licence after Sefton Council concluded he no longer met the authority’s licensing standards.
Gary Poland lost his licence following a review by the local authority after his evidence to the Southport Inquiry detailed how he drove away from the scene, believing he had heard gunshots, before waiting around 50 minutes to call 999. The decision comes just days after the Government accepted all recommendations made during the first phase of the Southport Inquiry into the attack.
Poland had driven 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana to the Hart Space studio in Southport on 29 July 2024, where a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class was taking place. Moments after Rudakubana entered the building, he fatally stabbed Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged nine, while attempting to murder 10 other people. Rudakubana was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years.
During the public inquiry in September 2025, Poland told Sir Adrian Fulford that he believed Rudakubana had a firearm after hearing several loud bangs and seeing children running from the building “like a stampede for their lives”. He said he fled because he feared he would become the next target if a gunman was still at large. Instead of immediately contacting emergency services, he accidentally accepted another booking through his taxi app, completed the journey, returned home and only then telephoned police around 50 minutes after leaving the scene.
In evidence to the inquiry, Poland admitted he regretted not calling police sooner and said he wished he had checked on the children. He told the inquiry the screams of the victims remained with him and accepted, with hindsight, that he should have acted differently. He maintained he genuinely believed shots had been fired and that he was acting while in a state of shock and fear.
Confirming the latest licensing decision, a Sefton Council spokesperson said: “This individual no longer holds a taxi driver licence following a review by the local authority. A decision was taken that this individual did not meet the appropriate standards set out in Sefton Council’s taxi licensing policy.”
ITV News reported that the council’s taxi licensing handbook specifically advises drivers to call 999 immediately if they believe a child or young person is in serious and immediate danger.
The case has prompted discussion across the licensed taxi industry about the responsibilities expected of drivers during emergency situations. Taxi licensing law in England places significant emphasis on applicants and existing licence holders being considered “fit and proper” persons.
While criminal convictions often dominate such assessments, licensing authorities may also consider a driver’s conduct, judgement and actions when determining whether they remain suitable to hold a licence.
The decision also comes against the backdrop of the wider Southport Inquiry, which concluded that the attack “could and should have been prevented”. The inquiry identified fundamental failings across multiple public bodies, including police, local authorities, mental health services and the Prevent programme, finding that warning signs surrounding Rudakubana had been repeatedly missed.
Earlier this week, the Government confirmed it had accepted all of the inquiry’s recommendations in full and pledged to reform how agencies identify and manage individuals posing serious risks of violence.
Although Poland was never accused of any criminal wrongdoing, Sefton Council’s decision demonstrates that licensing authorities can take regulatory action where a driver’s conduct is considered to fall below the standards expected of licensed taxi drivers. The case is likely to become a significant reference point for licensing officers and committees considering future questions around professional responsibilities, public safety and the “fit and proper person” test.
