At the Southport Inquiry in Liverpool Town Hall, a taxi driver described driving away from the Hart Space studio after hearing screams, believing gunshots had occurred. Gary Poland, who works for One Call Taxis, said he did not contact emergency services for about 50 minutes after collecting another fare and returning home.

Poland said he was in a state of terror after hearing what he believed were four or five gunshots. He later told police he did not want to confront anyone with a gun. He recalled seeing a crowd of children aged about six or seven crying as they ran, describing the scene as a stampede for their lives. He also said he did not realise Rudakubana was armed.

The journey to Hart Street was in silence and the taxi arrived at 11:44am. He said that if he had known a knife was in Rudakubana’s possession, he would have tried to disarm him. In hindsight he regrets not calling the police earlier and said he feels remorse for the families involved. A transcript shown to the inquiry captured him asking if the shooter had killed everyone. The hearing was adjourned until Monday morning.