Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to murdering three little girls in Southport stabbings
Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to murdering three little girls in a knife attack in Southport last year.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, died after being stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed children's holiday club class at the Hart Space on July 29, 2024.
18-year-old Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murder at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (January 20), and also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of eight other children - who cannot be named for legal reasons - and to the attempted murder of dance instructor Leanne Lucas and local businessman John Hayes.
Rudakubana, who lived in Banks, Lancashire, had previously not spoken during any of his court hearings and pleas of not guilty had been entered to all 16 counts on the indictment, on his behalf. He was due to stand trial on Monday (January 20).
As well as three counts of murder, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism - in the form of an Al Qaeda manual. Both items were discovered following searches of his home by police. The attack in Southport was not declared a terrorist incident.
Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, lived on Old School Close in Banks with his parents who are originally from Rwanda. His identity was initially not revealed by police due to him being 17 at the time of his arrest and false claims that he was a Muslim and an asylum seeker circulated online, leading to the eruption of riots and protests across the country.
Mr Justice Goose said Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday (January 23).