The Southport killer inquired about getting crossbows delivered to his home in plain packaging when he was aged just 15, the inquiry into the killings has heard.
Neither of the firms involved flagged the inquiries, which included questioning whether he would need to prove he was 18 when he received the parcels.
Axel Rudakubana went on to buy three machetes using stolen ID and two kitchen knives, one of which he used in the attack.
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Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July last year by Rudakubana, using a knife purchased on Amazon.
In the messages, which began on 3 May 2022, he asked one company: “I would like to purchase from Tactical Archery, but I would prefer discreet packaging which doesn’t provide any information on what is inside the box. Could I see a photo of what the external packaging of your products looks like?”
The firm replied, saying they used grey packaging bags when sending out crossbows so that “no one is able to see what is inside”.
Rudakubana then asked if the crossbow packaging said ‘tactical archery’ on it or had any other branding and the reply said: “No, just plain grey bags, or if the crossbow is bigger, we use black wrap.”
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Second firm was contacted
He then emailed a second company, Merlin Archery, asking how they would verify his age if he bought a product for over-18s only, whether they did so online, or “does the delivery person check my ID at my door? Also, do I have to be 18 to receive the product when it is at my door?”.
They replied saying: “If purchasing an age-restricted product such as a crossbow or blade article, for example, we would need to verify your age before we can dispatch an item.
“The first thing that we check is the electoral register, as a lot of people are present on here. If so, that is all we need and your account will be approved and the order processed.
“If you are not on the electoral register for any reason, we would contact you to verify your age by an alternate method. This would normally be through a photo of a passport or driving licence.”
Rudakubana then followed that up with the same message he had sent to the other company about “discreet packaging”.
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What does the law say?
The inquiry, sitting at Liverpool Town Hall, heard the law prohibits selling crossbows with a draw weight of more than 1.4kg to anyone under-18, but does not specify that parcels have to be age-verified on delivery or what kind of identity checks have to be carried out.
In the end, Rudakubana, who is now aged 19, did not place any orders for crossbows and two of the three machetes were intercepted by his parents, the inquiry was told.
‘Rudakubana asking three times was suspicious’
Harriet Wakeman, for the inquiry, asked Bradley Sutherland, who runs Tactical Archery UK if, looking back at his questions, his firm should have been suspicious “about why that person might be so determined to check the packaging?”.
He told the inquiry: “Yes, looking back at it, with the benefit of hindsight, I do think the fact that he did ask three times was a bit suspicious.
“It’s hard because it isn’t an unusual question, which is why it wasn’t reported.”
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The barrister asked if “tactical archery” to an outsider “might imply some kind of military use of the items that you’re selling, or use for violence?”
Mr Sutherland, who said he had started the company after Googling “the most searched phrases”, admitted he totally understood “how it looks from the outside”.
“I can definitely see the sort of connotations that may have, but we are actually working towards changing that to something more sort of sports outdoors-related.”
Benjamin Jones, of Merlin Archery, said the company had received “inappropriate questions” to do with crossbows.
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Often, customers believed it was legal to use crossbows for hunting, he said.
“It’s not like we get in questions constantly and we’re fielding these inquiries, but we have had a few inquiries about, to give one example, ‘what power would be required to kill somebody’, and we had a recent one about penetration of eyes.
“There are a very few inquiries like that, but they are concerning inquiries when you get them.”
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In the last 12 months, the company had found it necessary to contact the police three times about the malicious inquiries, he said.
The inquiry continues.
