![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_Southport-Incident-inquiry.jpg\")
Chair Sir Adrian Fulford sitting inside the hearing room at Liverpool Town Hall(Image: PA)<\/p>\nA business from Northern Ireland was one of three involved in the deliver of the knife to the Southport attackerChair Sir Adrian Fulford sitting inside the hearing room at Liverpool Town Hall(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Three firms involved in the delivery of a machete to the Southport attacker<\/a>, including one from Northern Ireland, have told a public inquiry they did not know the package contained a knife.<\/p>\n The blade, from website Hunting and Knives, was ordered by Axel Rudakubana, then 17, in October 2023 using a driving licence which belonged to a man aged in his 60s and living in London.<\/p>\n It was found in a holdall under his bed when police searched his home in Banks, Lancashire, after the attack on July 29 last year in which he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine,<\/a> and attempted to murder 10 others.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Parents of girls killed in Southport attack speak for first time – ‘light in the darkness’<\/a>READ MORE: Southport attack therapy dog set for emotional Crufts return<\/a><\/p>\n The Southport Inquiry, at Liverpool Town Hall, has heard the teenager ordered three machetes online in 2023 but two were sent using age-verified delivery.<\/p>\n Giving evidence on Wednesday, Stephen Henderson said he had not realised at the time that Ageo Wholesale, which runs Hunting and Knives, was using his firm, Northern Ireland-based SJ Henderson Fulfilment, to send blades.<\/p>\n He accepted there were missed opportunities for him to find out, including an email in which the company was described as \u201coutdoor supplies, we are specialists in knives\u201d.<\/p>\n He said he was not aware of laws requiring age-verified deliveries and labelling for the sale of knives.<\/p>\n Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: \u201cDo you regret now not doing more and not being more curious and not asking more questions?\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Henderson said: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n The inquiry heard more than 2,500 packages were sent through the companies.<\/p>\n Mr Moss asked: \u201cThe fact over 2,500 of these parcels, all of which should have been age-verified and all of which should have been labelled, presumably you now find that both a very serious matter and very worrying?\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Henderson said: \u201cAbsolutely and it\u2019s why I\u2019m here today.\u201d<\/p>\n The inquiry heard Mr Henderson had a contract with logistics company Whistl, which contracted Evri to carry out the final delivery.<\/p>\n Nigel Polglass, chief operating officer for Whistl, agreed it was \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d that more than 2,500 bladed items were dispatched to UK addresses in deliveries which should have been age verified but were not.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI think it is very worrying, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Whistl contract was with Ruach Music \u2013 another company owned by Mr Henderson.<\/p>\n \u201cOur expectation was that we were contracted with Ruach Music and we were handling the items that they had shown us that they handled, which were items linked to guitars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mr Henderson said Whistl was aware he was also using them for his fulfilment company.<\/p>\n Christopher Ashworth, chief customer officer of Evri, said the courier company did not offer age-verified delivery services and was \u201cwholly unaware\u201d that the package it delivered contained a bladed item.<\/p>\n Mr Henderson said he had terminated the contract with Ageo when Irish customs intercepted a consignment containing knives, machetes and a pepperbox revolver, said to be a replica.<\/p>\n The inquiry was shown an email exchange between him and Ageo director Juan Martinez in which Mr Martinez said: \u201cAs you well know, we send cutlery and this is not classified as a dangerous article for transport.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Martinez gave evidence over videolink from Spain on Tuesday and told the inquiry he believed SJ Henderson was complying with age-verification laws.<\/p>\n The inquiry was adjourned until Thursday when Amazon delivery driver Hamza Ali and the company\u2019s UK manager John Boumphrey are due to give evidence.<\/p>\n For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage <\/strong>here<\/a> and sign up to our daily newsletter<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A business from Northern Ireland was one of three involved in the deliver of the knife to 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