Knife Warehouse Admits Lax Checks After Southport Killer Buys Machete

Axel Rudakubana, who committed a deadly attack in Southport in 2024, purchased a 16.5-inch Black Panther kukri machete online from Knife Warehouse in October 2023 using a fake age verification ID belonging to an older man. Joseph Wheeler, managing director of Knife Warehouse, admitted at the public inquiry that he showed no curiosity about his customers' identities or intentions when selling knives, despite selling over 100 machetes that year. Wheeler acknowledged that the machete's black design and branding could be seen as making it look more ferocious, but he had not considered this at the time. The inquiry highlighted that the packaging of the weapon did not legally disclose it contained a bladed item, and the weapon was delivered without proper checks, ultimately received by Rudakubana's father. Wheeler's only stated caution was paying particular attention to orders from areas he considered gang-related, though he admitted this was not a rigorous practice. The inquiry underscored concerns about the retailer's lack of due diligence in preventing dangerous weapons from reaching vulnerable individuals.