Southport child-killer Axel Rudakubana is likely to die in jail after being detained for life with a minimum term of 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three girls.
The 18-year-old was sentenced in his absence at Liverpool crown court on Thursday after indicating he would be “disruptive” if he was present in the courtroom.
Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6) and Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) died in the attack, and Rudakubana also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Goose said: “He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody. I consider it likely he will never be released and he will be in custody for all of his life.”
Earlier the court was told that Rudakubana was referred to the UK’s counter terrorism programme Prevent for researching American school shootings, the London Bridge terror attack and uploading pictures of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy to Instagram.
Details of the 18-year-old’s background were read out by prosecutors at on Thursday, including an incident in October 2019 in which he contacted Childline and asked: “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?”
Rudakubana was also reported missing in March 2022 before he was found by police in possession of a small kitchen knife.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told the court that the defendant had said he “wanted to stab someone” so he could get his TikTok account taken down as it contained “embarrassing videos that he was unable to delete”.
The court has heard horrific details of the “sadistic” murders carried out by Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Hart Space on a small business park in Southport shortly before midday on July 29th last year.
Ms Lucas read a victim impact statement to the court on Thursday in which she said: “I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.”
She concluded her statement by saying: “He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.
“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.
“For Alice, Elsie, Bebe… and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”
In her opening of the case, Ms Heer told the court: “On October 4, 2019, he contacted Childline and asked, ‘What should I do if I want to kill somebody?’.
“In the days that followed, he explained that he hated someone at school who bullied him.
“He felt angry and wanted to kill them. He said he had taken a knife to school but would only use it if the person really annoyed him.”
Addressing the March 2022 incident, Ms Heer continued: “He said that he wanted to stab someone so that he would get into trouble and his TikTok account, which contained embarrassing videos that he was unable to delete, would be closed down by the police.
“He said he had also thought about poisoning people and/or had tried to make poison for the same reason.”
Ms Heer also briefly outlined the three referrals that were made to prevent in November 2019, February 2021 and April 2021.
The court was told Rudakubana researched American school shootings during an IT class, which prompted the first referral.
The second and third referrals were for uploading pictures of Colonel Gaddafi to Instagram, and because he was found to have researched the London Bridge terror attack.
Rudakubana’s previous convictions for assault, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of a bladed article were also briefly outlined in court.
The prosecutor said on December 11 2019, the defendant booked a taxi to take him to The Range High School, where he used a hockey stick to attack another pupil.
When the police were called, a kitchen knife was found in his backpack.
He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, the offences and a referral order was imposed.
Mr Justice Goose ordered Rudakubana to be removed from the dock shortly after the start of the sentencing hearing because he had been repeatedly shouting.
One family member shouted “coward”, while others shook their heads as he left.
Horrific CCTV was played to the court including footage showing one child trying to leave the building but being pulled back in.
Gasps and sobs were heard from the public gallery as the girl was seen to re-emerge and collapse on the floor outside.
One woman in the public gallery put her hand over her face and sobbed, being comforted by those sitting next to her, as the video was played.
Family members were given the option to leave court before CCTV was played, but all remained in the court.
More than 30 members of the victims’ families were in the public gallery of the court for the sentencing and the court heard there were others in an annexe.
Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana repeatedly interrupted his sentencing hearing by shouting for a paramedic and claiming to be ill, having not eaten for 10 days.
He earlier arrived at court to find out the number of years he will spend behind bars after admitting the murders of three girls at a dance class in Southport, England, last year.
There was a delay to the start of the proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday as sources confirmed he needed medical attention overnight but would appear in court.
When the teenager eventually entered the dock, wearing a grey tracksuit and surgical mask, he immediately sat and put his head down onto his knees. He did not respond when asked to confirm his name.
But as the prosecutor began outlining his crimes, the 18-year-old turned to a dock officer and said: “I’m not fine, I feel ill.” He shouted repeatedly: “I need to speak to a paramedic, I feel ill.”
He added: “You’re not giving me any support judge, I feel ill.”
The barrister representing him, Stanley Reiz KC, said: “He has not eaten for a number of days. He has drunk very little over that period of time. There was concern about his ability to be in a high pressure situation.”
Mr Justice Goose said he had been reassured Rudakubana was fit to attend and the court would continue until 1pm, when there would be a break.
But Rudakubana shouted: “I can’t remain quiet. I haven’t eaten for 10 days. I feel ill. I’m not going to remain quiet.”
When the judge tried to carry on with the case, Rudakubana shouted: “Don’t continue.” He was then told to leave the dock.
Mr Justice Goose said he would be brought back in to be sentenced later in the day.
The 18-year-old had pleaded guilty to all 16 offences he faced on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6), and Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), died in the attack at the Taylor Swift-themed class in The Hart Space on a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on July 29th.
The defendant, who was 17 at the time of the killings, admitted their murders as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Rudakubana is not expected to receive a whole-life order because he was 17 at the time of the attack and the measures can normally only be imposed on criminals aged 21 or over. They are usually only considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.
Cardiff-born Rudakubana further pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the date of the killings, which he bought on Amazon, production of a biological toxin, ricin, on or before July 29th, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual, which he is said to have possessed between August 29th, 2021, and July 30th, 2024.
'He was obsessed with massacres and gore': What we know about the Southport killer
The ricin, a deadly poison, and the document were found during searches of the home in Old School Close which he shared with his parents, who are originally from Rwanda.
Documents about Nazi Germany, the Rwandan genocide and car bombs were found on Rudakubana’s devices during police searches of his home.
Sources said the material showed an “obsession with extreme violence”, but there was no evidence he subscribed to any political or religious ideology or was “fighting for a cause”.
British prime minister Keir Starmer addressed the nation on Tuesday to say Britain faces a new threat of terrorism from “extreme violence carried out by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms” following the Southport murders.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper announced an inquiry into the case following Rudakubana’s guilty pleas, including how he “came to be so dangerous” and why Prevent “failed to identify the terrible risk” he posed to others.
Unrest erupted across the country in the wake of the Southport attack, with mosques and hotels used for asylum seekers among the locations targeted.
Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. – PA
