I was relieved to read some letters (28 January) about issues which haven’t been headlines in the media, but which might have affected Axel Rudakubana. I also note that he had received a diagnosis of autism.
My son is autistic; he fits Keir Starmer’s “loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom” labelling to a T. He too has been marginalised, bullied and rarely leaves the house. He too lives his life through the internet. He too is vulnerable and influenced by what he reads there. When he was a teenager he too felt he wanted to kill someone. He was fortunate and received treatment.
Axel Rudakubana had been a child asking for help. Like his parents, I have heard that phrase from mental health services too: “He’s not engaging, so we need to discharge him from our service.” Not engaging is part of the problem. Why have we not heard about the parents of this young man as they struggled to contain his disordered thinking? They are also victims in this tragedy.
When I hear Keir Starmer pledging to address the “misfits” and “loners” isolated in their bedrooms, I wonder what this means. I do hope he will fund more services for autistic people in crisis. Many thanks for publishing a wider picture.
Name and address supplied
• Kimon Roussopoulos (Letters, 23 January) is right that identifying potential knife attackers, their motivation and how to stop them is important. But reducing the domestic availability of sharp-pointed objects is also a feasible objective. The aggressive use of a knife without a pointed blade is much more difficult, and easier to defend against. How often are such implements needed in the kitchen – or elsewhere in the home or garden?
Restricting these potential weapons to licensed individuals (butchers, for instance) would gradually reduce their availability. Sharp-edged but blunt-ended knives will need to be produced to replace them. The process could be speeded up by exchange schemes funded by the state.
Peter Lowe
Newcastle upon Tyne
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