Axel Rudakubana’s brother reveals how family feared ‘merciless’ murderer would kill them all

He described his family’s fear of his brother and his angry outbursts, adding that his tendencies reminded him of the “sociopath” murderer played by Javier Bardem in the film No Country For Old Men.

Dion told the hearing in Liverpool Town Hall that the outbursts, which were often violent, originally took place in the car on the way to school, and worsened when his brother was expelled in October 2019.

The 21-year-old, who was present via a video link from a remote location, called his brother’s behaviour “unpredictable and inconsistent”.

Dion was diagnosed with neuromuscular disorder aged 12, and became a wheelchair user, something which he said his brother resented because of the increased attention it granted him.

He told the hearing Axel would “regularly” hit him, and he became “increasingly wary” of his brother.

Messages between Dion and a friend in December 2022, when he returned home from his first year at university, were shown to the hearing.

In one, he said: “The risk of him doing something potentially fatal is the major concern.”

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He told the inquiry: “There had been various events where we had to call the police out, where indications were there.”

Another message read: “The fights are scary because of the danger of someone dying. My brother doesn’t really show mercy, so my dad just has to try not to die. We hide knives to mitigate the factor.”

Counsel to the inquiry, Richard Boyle, asked if Dion genuinely believed his brother “would kill a member of your family” to which he responded: “If things escalated to that point.”

He told the hearing: “His frustration was a result of his lower mood. I was concerned because he was bigger… physically larger and it would hurt more.”

Dion told the hearing that he felt his relationship with his brother changed significantly after his diagnosis with neuromuscular disorder.

He said: “There was a tension that came about. Up until that age, he got more attention than I did because he was younger than me, so there as a change in focus around that time.”

He also told of “intense” conversations with his brother, but explained that was likely because there were both autistic.

Dion accused his brother of having a “short temper” and claimed he was the victim of physical aggression “a few times a week” from his sibling who would also smash plates and glasses.

He said his concern for his younger brother increased after his expulsion from Range High School in 2019 as before that point, he could not remember him being violent towards his parents.

Dion added that after his brother was expelled, he was told by fellow students that it was widely known he was being bullied, but he never spoke to him about it.

The inquiry continues.