The BBC has removed a six-year-old Doctor Who charity advert from all its platforms after it was discovered that the advert starred the teenager named as a suspect in this week's Southport stabbing.
Watch Southport stabbing suspect Axel Rudakubana star as Doctor Who in BBC Children in Need promo
Axel Rudakubana, now 17, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder following the attack in northern England on Monday, July 29, which left three young girls dead and several seriously injured in a stabbing attack that took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
According to The Times newspaper, the 2018 video shows Rudakubana, then 11, stepping out of the famous Tardis wearing a brown trench coat and tie, similar to the outfit worn by the show's former star David Tennant.
The newspaper reports that Rudakubana was hired through a casting agency and never had a direct relationship with the BBC. It quotes a spokesperson for Children in Need as saying: "Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone affected by this shocking case and we have removed the video from all our platforms out of respect for them."
