The Prime Minister, who claimed disclosing certain details “ran the risk the trial would collapse”, was reluctant to provide clarity on Rudakubana’s identity amid speculation the 18-year-old was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, warned withholding the information could have been “far more prejudicial” than making the facts public.
Writing for The Telegraph, Hall said: “The failure by the authorities to spell out basic and sober facts about the attacker led to contagious disinformation about a murderous Muslim asylum-seeker that stoked the ensuing riots.
Sir Keir Starmer delivering a statement at Downing Street
PA
“I would go further than that: it led to dangerous fictions that could have been far more prejudicial to the prosecution of Rudakubana than some of the true facts which were suppressed in the name of contempt of court.
“Had there been a trial, jurors could have entered court with the impression that Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum-seeker and, more toxically, that the authorities were determined to hush it up.”
He added: “Accurate information is crucial for public trust and confidence, particularly in the wake of terrorist attacks and other horrors.”
Merseyside Chief Constable Serene Kennedy also admitted the authorities were instructed to conceal key details.
Speaking to MPs last week, Kennedy said: “We had about a 90-minute discussion all around the use of the wanting to put the religion in the statement.
“I won’t say my exact wording, but it will have been along the lines of, ‘I need to help my colleagues out, my fellow chief constables. Some of the streets of the UK are on fire, and I need to help them as much as I can.’
“But there were real concerns around me putting the religion into my press statement.
However, Hall’s intervention comes after the Law Commission was instructed by the Government to fast-track new contempt rules to avoid similar style riots to those seen last summer.
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Axel Rudakubana brutally killed three girls in Southport
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The Prime Minister, who oversaw a clampdown on what he described as “far-right” rioters, brought in touch measures when an estimated 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots across 27 towns and cities.
During the height of the riots, Starmer said: “I utterly condemn the far-right thuggery we have seen this weekend.
“Be in no doubt: those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law. The police will be making arrests.
“Individuals will be held on remand. Charges will follow. And convictions will follow. I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder.”
More than 1,280 people were arrested during the riots, with more than 800 being charged.
Hall also voiced concern about community cohesion in the digital age, later arguing that such technological changes could force the Contempt of Court Act to come under re-examination.
An image from the summer riots in Sunderland
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Despite Hall’s concerns about Starmer’s conduct risking the Southport trial, the Prime Minister addressed the reason behind his silence on the key details following Rudakubana’s guilty plea.
He said: “Back in August I said there would be a time for questions, but that first, justice had to be done.
“And that above all, we must not interfere with the work of the police, the prosecutors, and the delivery of that justice. Well yesterday, thankfully, a measure of justice was done.”
Starmer added: “If this trial had collapsed because I or anyone else had revealed crucial details while the police were investigating while the case was being built, while we were awaiting a verdict, then the vile individual who committed these crimes would have walked away a free man.
“The prospect of justice destroyed for the victims and their families. I would never do that. And nobody would ever forgive me if I had. That is why the law of this country forbade me or anyone else from disclosing details sooner. Nonetheless, it is now time for those questions.”
GB News has approached No10 for comment.