Not guilty pleas entered for Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana after he refuses to speak

Not guilty pleas have been entered on behalf of Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana after he refused to speak in court.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today by video-link charged with three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife over the attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed, while eight other children, aged between seven and 13, were injured, along with yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Rudakubana was aged 17 at the time of the attack at The Hart Space, which has not been declared terror-related, according to Merseyside Police.

He was later charged with producing ricin and allegedly possessing an al Qaeda training manual apparently found in searches of his home in Banks, Lancashire, in the days after the mass stabbing.

The first additional charge, under the Biological Weapons Act 1974, states that he produced a biological toxin, namely ricin, on or before 29 July.

The second, under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, alleges he possessed a PDF file entitled “Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.

Rudakubana is due to face trial at the same court on 20 January, with the case expected to last four weeks.

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