A British teenager, who killed three young girls who were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the English town of Southport, was jailed for 52 years on Thursday, officials said.
The murderer was identified as Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old male.
He also attempted to murder 10 other people, including eight children.
In a statement, Merseyside Police said: “Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 52 years for the murder of three girls in Southport on 29 July 2024, the attempted murder of 10 others (eight children and two adults) and for possession of a knife in a public place, production of a biological toxin namely ricin contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974 and possession of information, namely a PdF file entitled ‘Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual, of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing, or preparing, an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.”
He pleaded guilty to all 16 charges against her on January 20, and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.
He was convicted of the murder of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
Rudakubana was additionally convicted of 10 charges of the attempted murder of eight children and two adults, and one charge of possession of a knife – all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport on 29 July 2024.
He was today given 13 life sentences and will serve a minimum of 52 years in prison for the offences.
On the morning of 29 July last year, Rudakubana booked a taxi to the Hart Space where 26 children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop.
He was carrying a knife bought online days earlier and after leaving the taxi without paying, he entered the building and carried out the appalling attack.
A thorough investigation at the home of Rudakubana led to the discovery of weapons, the ingredients necessary to make ricin and evidence that he had searched and viewed violent material online from a number of sources as well as downloading an academic study of an Al-Qaeda training manual.
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye, the Senior Investigating Officer of this investigation said: “Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls at the Hart Space on 29 July.
“Although no outcome at court could possibly ease the pain and trauma of their families, I hope that knowing Rudakubana will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison will bring them some comfort.
“His sustained and ruthless attack took away the lives of three beautiful little girls, Bebe, Elsie and Alice, and the thoughts of everyone at Merseyside Police remain with their families. Our thoughts are also with the young girls who suffered serious injuries, and all of those who were traumatised by what they saw on that morning.
“The incident also impacted on the community of Southport and has been felt across the country. This was the most harrowing, large-scale investigation that our force has ever dealt with and I want to praise the commitment, dedication, and sheer determination of the investigation team who have never had to deal with anything like this before.
“Having committed the most heinous of crimes, Rudakubana then tried at various points of the process to frustrate justice, by remaining silent and resisting co-operation.
“That he chose to plead guilty on the first day of trial at least spared the families and all those affected a trial that they had until that moment feared would compound their grief and distress further.
“Even today, he had to be removed from the dock after repeated attempts to disrupt the sentencing hearing by shouting as the prosecution tried to lay out the details of his awful crimes.
“I am pleased to see that – thanks to the determination of everyone involved in the legal process – all his efforts to frustrate the process were in vain and he has now faced justice for his terrible actions,” Pye added.
