Southport killer's brother worried he would kill, inquiry learns
The older brother of the Southport attacker said his mother and father "lost control" of their son and he worried his brother would fatally harm a individual of their household, a public inquiry has heard.
The individual, a teenager, fatally attacked three kids at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop on 29 July 2024.
The hearing, sitting at a civic building, was told the attacker's brother the older brother warned a friend there was a possibility of his relative "doing something potentially fatal."
The hearing was informed he told his contact over the digital service: "Confrontations are frightening because of the threat of a fatality."
The sibling said his relative was similar to the psychopathic killer in the movie the thriller.
Increasing Conflict
The inquiry learned the brother was identified with a medical condition at the early teens which caused him using a wheelchair and his parents offering greater support.
When asked by Richard Boyle, attorney, if that altered their dynamic he said: "There was tension that came about."
The brother agreed his relative seemed to dislike this change.
He revealed to the hearing that after the family left Cardiff to their new location his relative's behavior declined and he would have "physical explosions."
Proceedings heard Dion became "progressively concerned" of his brother, who would strike him often.
He stated: "I was forced to be wary if I attempted to talk to him because every argument could turn into an altercation."
'Genuine concerns'
He said his relative became significantly more violent after he was dismissed from the educational institution in the local area, in that period.
He left for university in that year and the brothers communicated rarely "as he was unaccustomed to having me around."
The inquiry was made aware of a note Dion sent to a friend on the service in which he stated his brother was angered by him speaking late at night because of the thin walls in their residence.
He further revealed to his friend there was a danger of "his committing an act potentially fatal."
He stated: "Confrontations are terrifying because of the risk of someone dying."
The lawyer questioned: "You were genuinely concerned that your sibling would kill a individual of your relatives?"
Dion replied: "Should situations worsen to that level."
The counsel inquired how his family dealt with the attacker's violent behaviour.
"There was no point to seek to penalize him," he testified. "Additionally, there was a serious threat in doing so.
"We mentioned there was a overall danger to well-being in casual discussion, if you try to confront him... it wouldn't be responded to well."
When the lawyer inquired if his parents had failed to manage of his relative, the brother concurred.
When asked about his relative resembling a figure from the movie No Country for Old Men, the brother said: "I heard that figure's intended as a psychopath and that's why I chose that description there."
He testified the final contact he had with his relative was in the 2023 summer.
He acknowledged that their parents asked the perpetrator to take leave to him as he was leaving to see his companions and his brother threw a bottle at him but the entryway shut before it hit.
The inquiry proceeds.