THE Southport killer’s taxi driver has admitted to taking another fare before calling police, confessing that he “regrets” not helping the victims.
The driver who took Axel Rudakubana to the scene of the attack said he believed there was a gunman and he could be a target, as he explained why he drove away despite seeing children fleeing.
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Gary Poland, a driver for One Call Taxis, has admitted to waiting for 50 minutes before calling the emergency services after hearing screams at the Hart Space.
He confessed that he picked up another fare and returned home before putting in the call.
Giving evidence over video link to the Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday, Mr Poland said he threatened to call the police when Rudakubana ignored his requests to pay.
However, the driver thought he had gone to get money when he went into the building, where the Taylor Swift-themed dance class was being held.
The teenager then proceeded to murder Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.
He also attempted to murder 10 others in the horror attack that occurred on July 29 2024.
In a statement, Mr Poland said: “I consider that I should have called police earlier.
“In hindsight, I wish I had done and it’s something that I do think about every day, what I should have done and how this is my fault because I drove him there.
“I should have checked on the welfare of the children and helped.
“I thought there was a gunman shooting at people and I believed this to be the person who I had just been shouting at to pay me a fare and threatened to call the police, so I did believe that I was in danger of being a target.
“I regret not helping the children. Their screams were harrowing and I can still hear them when I think back to that day.”
He said he was in “complete shock”, which is why he did not check on the children’s welfare.
In a statement, he added: “This was terrifying. I was in a state of complete mortal terror and shock.”
The inquiry heard a minute after leaving Hart Street, Mr Poland rang his friend Julian Medlock, who ran a garage near to the Hart Space.
A transcript of the call was shown, which reveals Mr Poland telling his friend: “He just f****** shot everyone ain’t he?”
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He told the inquiry he had picked up Rudakubana, whose name was listed as Simon, from his home in Banks, Lancashire.
After checking the address with him, they travelled in silence before arriving at Hart Street at 11.44am.
Mr Poland told that during the journey, Rudakubana gave no cause for suspicion.
He was also unaware when he dropped the killer off that he was carrying a knife.
Mr Poland told the inquiry: “If I’d have thought he had a knife I’d have got out and disarmed him.”
Counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC asked: “You would have got out and disarmed him, you think?”
To which Mr Poland responded: “Yeah. It’s only a knife.”
He said that when Rudakubana went into the building he assumed he had gone to get cash to pay his fare.
But moments later, the taxi driver said he “heard all this screaming” and thought he heard four or five gunshots.
Mr Poland told police that when he heard the gunshots he began to fear the worst.
He said: “That’s when I got worried.
“And I thought, ‘I’m not going to confront anyone with a gun.'”
Mr Moss asked the witness: “It stands to reason, you have realised immediately this was a very serious incident?”
Mr Poland replied: “Oh yes.”
In a statement, Mr Poland described “extremely vivid” screaming of children and went on to say: “I then saw a mass huddle of children aged approximately six or seven.
“They were screaming, it was like a stampede for their lives.”
Mr Moss continued: “Do you accept, as you drove away, children were fleeing alongside your car. And you can be seen looking in the rear view camera?”
“That’s correct,” Mr Poland confessed.
He added: “I did not know anybody was injured. I did not see anybody injured.”
Mr Poland drove away for two to three minutes before parking up at 11.49am.
He accepts that he should have called the police as soon as he got out of harm’s way.
He said he called his friend Mr Medlock because he was scared for his welfare and believed there had been a shooting incident.
Mr Moss said: “At any time during this call did you say anything about those young girls or their welfare?”
Mr Poland replied: “I don’t think so.”
The witness denied any anti-police feeling or reluctance to call them.
He said: “If I thought there was a need to call police, I would.”
Mr Poland said he accidentally then accepted to take another fare on his booking app and only did so because he did not know what he was doing in that moment.
On the journey a transcript of the conversation showed him having a “mundane” conversation about the weather and work.
A police car, sirens on and lights flashing, passed his car at speed in the opposite direction.
This prompted his fare to say: “I wonder what that was?”
To which, Mr Poland responded: “He’s in a rush, isn’t he”, the inquiry heard.
Mr Poland also confessed that after dropping off his customer, there was another opportunity to call the police, which he again, failed to take and instead proceeded to drive home.
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