Southport killer's taxi driver apologises to families after 'regretfully' waiting 50 minutes to call police

Warning: This article contains discussion of violence and murder which some readers may find distressing

The taxi driver who dropped off the Southport murderer at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has apologised to families, saying he 'regrets' not acting sooner after the killings.

Gary Poland was driving that fateful day when he picked up the killer, later identified as Axel Rudakubana, who went on to murder three little girls.

The inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall heard how he recalled collecting Rudakubana from his home.

The then 17-year-old got into the back of the car, wearing a face mask and a hoodie with the hood up.

Neither spoke to the other during the journey, until Poland asked him 'cash or card?' as Rudakubana got out without paying.

The taxi driver followed him to try and get his fare but the teenager replied: “What are you going to do about it?”

After getting back in his car, Poland told him to pay up or he'd call the police before driving away.

Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison for the killings (PA)

The rear dashcam picked up footage of the terrified children running alongside the taxi, and screams could be heard.

Instead of calling the police, Mr Poland looked in the rearview mirror and then drove off, claiming to the inquiry "he just panicked and was not ­thinking clearly” but confessed, "I regret not doing more."

One of the adults present, teacher Leanne Lucas, was the first to call 999.

Despite being wounded herself, she placed the call roughly 27 seconds after the screams were picked up on the dashcam.

Instead of going home, the taxi driver took another fare before finally calling the police at 12.36pm, some 50 minutes after Rudakubana launched his horrifying attack.

It was only after Poland made that call that police were able to identify Rudakubana.

The driver insisted: "I did what I did because of fear, shock and panic. These are human emotions which I could not control."

Three little girls were killed: Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six.

Eight other girls and two adults were also severely injured in the attack.

Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were all killed during the attack (PA)

Poland shared a statement with the inquiry, confessing: “On reflection, I do consider that I should have called the police earlier.

"In hindsight I wish I had done it, and it is something that I think about every day - what I should have done, and how this is my fault because I drove him there."

“I regret not helping the children, their screams were harrowing and I can still hear them when I think back to that day."

“I regret not doing more. There isn’t a day that passes when I don’t think about that day and what ifs."

“What if I had called the police? What if I had got out of my car? What if I had apprehended him for not paying me? But I do not know the answers.”

He revealed he thought there was a shooting taking place and that his passenger was a gunman and worried about becoming a target after threatening him with police involvement.

Poland continued: “I can only say that I panicked, and I fled for my own safety. I cannot imagine what the victims and the families of the ­victims have been through and they have my deepest sympathy for what happened that day.”

Taxi driver Gary Poland told the inquiry he 'should have called the police earlier' (Facebook/Gary Poland)

He insisted: “I was in a state of complete mortal terror and shock....I just remember seeing the face."

“I can’t sleep at night, I shut my eyes, I see his face, it’s just there all the time in my head.”

Contrary to his claims though, in a phone call to a friend he made when he pulled up around the corner, Poland said: “I’ve just dropped a lad off, I chased him down your thing. He ran next door and I think he shot some people.

“Do you not hear screaming and shots go off? He’s just f* shot everyone ain’t he?”

"He shot upstairs, and I heard these f***ing shots and I f***ing shot off. Lucky he didn’t shoot me, weren’t it?”

Nicholas Moss KC said: “The outside observer listening to this exchange may pick up a sense of disbelief from you about what had happened but not ‘mortal terror and shock’.”

Moss did add that even if Poland had called the police immediately, it probably would not have helped police ­and paramedics arrive any sooner, as Leanne Lucas managed to call so quickly.

The inquiry continues.