00:00The Southport Inquiry has heard a violent video remains available on X despite being watched by Axel Rudiger-Barner minutes
00:08before he carried out the attack that killed three children.
00:12X's compliance and safety lead Sheen Handu told the Inquiry that the video remains online with a sensitivity warning for
00:19adult users in the UK.
00:20She said it does not breach the platform's policies because it does not cross the threshold for gratuitous gore.
00:27Ms Handu said X applies its rules rather than opinions expressed outside these policies.
00:33Rudiger-Barner searched for the video shortly before leaving home to attack a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport
00:39in July 2024.
00:41He's serving a life sentence for murdering nine-year-old Alastair Silva Aguirre, six-year-old B.B. King and
00:46seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stankin.
00:48He was also convicted of attempting to murder eight other children and two adults.
00:52Giving evidence during the Inquiry's second phase, Ms Handu publicly offered condolences to the victims, the families and people affected
01:00in Southport, but she said this was not an apology on behalf of X.
01:05The Inquiry heard criticism from a report written by Sir Adrian Fulford.
01:09He said X had not acted unlawfully, but described its refusal to remove the most graphic part of the footage
01:15as deeply regrettable.
01:16He said the material could have raised concerns because Rudiger-Barner had searched for it before the murders.
01:22Ms Handu said X had continued applying its existing policy after reviewing the issue.
01:26She later agreed to ask her team to review that policy.
