Southport Killer Axel Rudakubana has ‘sickening’ fascination with death and geno
“Violence-obsessed” Axel Rudakubana will rot in jail for life after a shock last-minute change of plea on Monday – and admitting murdering three young children at a Southport Taylor Swift dance club.
A monster with a “sickening” fascination with death and genocide, Axel Rudakubana, 18, was to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday charged with 16 offences, including three counts of murder.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following 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 29.
On that fateful morning last summer Rudakubana, then aged 17, ordered a taxi from his home in Banks, Lancashire, and drove to The Hart Space armed with a 20cm kitchen knife.
On arrival he entered the upstairs dance class and started randomly slashing and stabbing the children – only stopping when police arrived 12 minutes later and forced him to drop his bloody weapon.
Prosecutors confirmed Rudakubana “was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. He has shown no sign of remorse.”
Ahead of the trial, Rudakubana repeatedly refused to speak to the judge and even his own barrister Stanley Reiz KC – and Monday morning was no exception when he refused to confirm his name to Judge Mr Justice Goose.
But then he gestured to his barrister to walk to the dock, and Stan Reiz, defending, told the judge: “I am instructed for the indictment to be put again.”
And with his wild hair and grey prison sweater finally spoke the one word “guilty” to all 16 counts on the indictment as the court clerk read each charge to him repeating back: “You wish to change your plea to guilty”.
The defendant 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 kept his head down towards his knees as the judge said to him: “You have now pleaded guilty to this indictment and to each of the charges upon it.
“You will understand it is inevitable the sentence to be imposed upon you will mean a life sentence equivalent will be imposed upon you.
“The next stage is sentence. That will take place on Thursday at 11am. I will have to complete the sentencing process on that occasion.”
There had been no inkling the defendant would change his plea – with the family of his victims not present as they had been advised by the Crown Prosecution Service not to come to court until Tuesday.
And while admitting his guilt saves his traumatised victims from the anguish of hearing the gruesome evidence the judge echoed the dismay the parents of his victims will feel as they were not in court to hear him admit his crimes.
Mr Justice Goose said: “I am conscious of the fact the families are not here today.”
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC confirmed the families had not attended court on Monday as it was assumed the trial would open on Tuesday.
Mr Justice Goose said he extended his apologies to the families that “for that reason they weren’t here to hear him enter his pleas”. Ms Deer said she would speak to them ahead of the sentencing on Thursday.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to murder and a terrorism charge. Will we ever find out the whole truth?”
As he was aged under 18 at the time of the attack Rudakubana cannot be sentenced to a whole life tariff on Thursday – hence the judge saying he will cage him to a “life sentence equivalent”.
On the day of the attack Leanne Lucas was hosting a sell-out Taylor Swift-themed event for six to 11 year olds to be held at The Hart Space – even using a life size Taylor Swift cardboard cut-out for children to have their pictures taken with.
As well as dancing, the children were set to make Swiftie bracelets and Taylor Swift-themed masks.
Rudakubana left his home at 11:10am and was seen arguing with the taxi driver when he arrived at the dance club, as he had refused to pay the fare, before entering the building wearing a hoodie and a surgical mask.
He managed to stab 11 children – three fatally – after launching his mindless attack in the studio on the first floor.
As well as the 11 youngsters he also stabbed Leanne Lucas and businessman Jonathan Hayes, who was working in the office next door and tried to intervene.
Outside court on Monday Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: “This was an unspeakable attack – one which left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and senselessness.
“At the start of the school holidays, a day which should have been one of carefree innocence; of children enjoying a dance workshop and making friendship bracelets, became a scene of the darkest horror as Axel Rudakubana carried out his meticulously planned rampage.
“It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. He has shown no sign of remorse.
“The prosecution was determined to prove his guilt and I am deeply grateful that today’s plea has spared the families at the heart of this case the pain of having to relive their ordeal through a trial.
“Today, our thoughts are with all those whose lives were altered by what happened on that day.
“Most of all, we think of Elsie, Bebe, and Alice – the three beautiful young girls whose lives were cut short – and wish strength and courage to the families who loved and cherished them.”
Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to having a kitchen knife in a public place and to the production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file titled Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.
But some questioned why the attack in Southport was not declared a terrorist incident – despite the discovery of the document.
But the CPS have argued this was because the attack was not done in pursuit of a racial or religious ideology, which the Terrorism Act requires.
The shocking attack sparked riots and furious protests after false information was spread on social media and online that he was an illegal immigrant who arrived at Dover in a small boat – when in fact he was born in Cardiff to parents from Rwanda.
The day after the attack, thousands turned out for a peaceful vigil in Southport, but later a separate protest outside a mosque in the town became violent, with missiles thrown at police and vans set on fire.
More than 1,000 arrests linked to disorder across the country have since been made and hundreds charged and jailed.
On Monday, dozens of activists and members of the public flocked to Liverpool Crown Court to see the trial with only a handful of seats for the public available in a second media overspill court room – and none for the public at all in the main court where Rudakubana sat.
One banner stretched in the square outside the court read: “Stop Anti-white violence.”
Ahead of the expected trial this week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the whole country would be thinking of the families of the three girls killed in Southport.
She said: “This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country will be thinking of them.
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.
“There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy. But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done.”
Meanwhile the seaside resort “will never be the same” after the mass murder attaack, according to Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport.
Mr Hurley said: “The community has been healing, the town will obviously never be the same as it has been prior to July.
“There is surprise and shock at the development this morning but we are all hoping throughout the town that the families get the justice and the outcome they need.
“Everybody across the town and the families who are most closely involved and the families of the victims were bracing themselves for the next four weeks (of the trial). It was never going to be an easy time for anybody here.”
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