Serena Kennedy spoke to MPs about her plan to add the suspect’s religion in a release. This release covered the Banks teenager’s charge. She knew some said the suspect sought asylum, and hate crimes against Muslims increased then.

Kennedy discussed this with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The local CPS team disagreed about revealing his religion, and they talked for ninety minutes. Based on their advice, she didn’t share the info. Later, she learned the national CPS approved it.

She told the committee about the misinformation issue that affected Muslim people. Kennedy wanted to set the record straight. The local CPS was against including it, so the press statement omitted the suspect’s religion.

Kennedy realized the national CPS emailed a different reply, and they were fine with releasing the religion information. But, her team missed it because they prepped for the press conference.

MPs wondered about the CPS’ consistency. Kennedy followed the local prosecutor’s lead, explaining that justice was her priority. Her actions aimed to avoid harming the case.

Axel Rudakubana got life in prison with a minimum sentence of 52 years. He murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, and the crime happened at a dance class. He also hurt eight other children, Leanne Lucas, and John Hayes.

After the attack, wrong details spread online, falsely claiming he was seeking asylum. This led to violent unrest, and mosques and asylum housing faced attacks.

MPs asked if more suspect info would stop the unrest, but the police chief said it’s hard to know for sure. She noted the media protocol has been around for nearly 20 years.

Social media has changed a lot over the years. She highlighted the Telegram use, and hundreds of thousands of users used it at that time. Telegram did not even exist back then.

She thinks they should re-evaluate releasing info to the public. They must avoid harming criminal justice efforts, and this case really highlights that need.

About sharing Rudakubana’s religion, she described a spike in hate crimes. Merseyside went from 130 to 170 hate crimes in a week.

She knew releasing the religion would impact communities. She wanted to clarify the suspect’s faith, but she was unable to share that fact at that time.

The police and CPS worked closely together, focusing on family needs. This work covered statements, charges, the trial, and sentencing, and their goal was to ensure everyone felt comfortable with the process.

Serena Kennedy spoke to MPs about her plan to add the suspect’s religion in a release. This release covered the Banks teenager’s charge. She knew some said the suspect sought asylum, and hate crimes against Muslims increased then.

Kennedy discussed this with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The local CPS team disagreed about revealing his religion, and they talked for ninety minutes. Based on their advice, she didn’t share the info. Later, she learned the national CPS approved it.

She told the committee about the misinformation issue that affected Muslim people. Kennedy wanted to set the record straight. The local CPS was against including it, so the press statement omitted the suspect’s religion.

Kennedy realized the national CPS emailed a different reply, and they were fine with releasing the religion information. But, her team missed it because they prepped for the press conference.

MPs wondered about the CPS’ consistency. Kennedy followed the local prosecutor’s lead, explaining that justice was her priority. Her actions aimed to avoid harming the case.

Axel Rudakubana got life in prison with a minimum sentence of 52 years. He murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, and the crime happened at a dance class. He also hurt eight other children, Leanne Lucas, and John Hayes.

After the attack, wrong details spread online, falsely claiming he was seeking asylum. This led to violent unrest, and mosques and asylum housing faced attacks.

MPs asked if more suspect info would stop the unrest, but the police chief said it’s hard to know for sure. She noted the media protocol has been around for nearly 20 years.

Social media has changed a lot over the years. She highlighted the Telegram use, and hundreds of thousands of users used it at that time. Telegram did not even exist back then.

She thinks they should re-evaluate releasing info to the public. They must avoid harming criminal justice efforts, and this case really highlights that need.

About sharing Rudakubana’s religion, she described a spike in hate crimes. Merseyside went from 130 to 170 hate crimes in a week.

She knew releasing the religion would impact communities. She wanted to clarify the suspect’s faith, but she was unable to share that fact at that time.

The police and CPS worked closely together, focusing on family needs. This work covered statements, charges, the trial, and sentencing, and their goal was to ensure everyone felt comfortable with the process.