🔗 Share this article

The brother of the Southport attacker testified his mother and father "were unable to handle" of their son and he worried his family member would murder a member of their family, a hearing has heard.

The attacker, then 17, fatally attacked three children at a pop music-inspired dance workshop on that date.

The official investigation, conducted at the venue, heard the sibling the older brother warned a friend there was a possibility of his sibling "doing something that could kill."

The inquiry was informed Dion told his associate over the Discord messaging app: "The fights are frightening because of the risk of loss of life."

The sibling stated his sibling was similar to the sociopathic murderer in the film the thriller.

Increasing Conflict

Proceedings was told the brother was identified with a neuromuscular disorder at the early teens which resulted in him relying on a chair and his mother and father offering greater support.

In response to the inquiry counsel, counsel to the inquiry, if that changed his relationship he stated: "There was tension that resulted."

He concurred his brother showed bitterness toward this development.

He told the hearing that after the family moved from Cardiff to Southport his brother's moods deteriorated and he would have "physical explosions."

The inquiry heard Dion became "increasingly wary" of his brother, who would hit him regularly.

He testified: "I had to be cautious if I tried to communicate to him because any disagreement could escalate into an confrontation."

'Real worries'

Dion said his brother became increasingly physical after he was removed from his school in the local area, in October 2019.

The sibling went to college in that year and the siblings communicated rarely "as he was unaccustomed to having me around."

Proceedings was told about a communication the brother wrote to a contact on the service in which he mentioned his brother was irritated with him talking during nighttime because of the thin walls in their house.

He additionally informed his contact there was a risk of "him doing something potentially fatal."

He said: "Confrontations are scary because of the risk of loss of life."

The counsel inquired: "You held real worries that your sibling would fatally harm a member of your family?"

Dion replied: "If things escalated to that extent."

Mr Boyle asked how his mother and father dealt with the attacker's violent behaviour.

"It was pointless to seek to penalize him," he said. "Also, there was a serious threat in taking that action.

"We said there was a widespread threat to life in general conversation, if you seek to address him... it would not end well."

When questioned if his mother and father had lost control of his brother, Dion concurred.

Inquired concerning his brother being similar to a persona from the film the Coen brothers film, the brother explained: "It was said that character's intended as a psychopath and that's why I chose that description there."

He testified the previous encounter he had with his relative was in the 2023 summer.

He acknowledged that their mother and father requested the attacker to say goodbye to him as he was leaving to see his companions and his relative hurled an object at him but the entryway shut before it struck.

The hearing proceeds.