A teenager has admitted to murdering three children in a “meticulously planned” mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport which sparked widespread riots.
Axel Rudakubana, aged 18, also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder following the frenzied knife attack which shocked the nation last summer, as well as producing the deadly poison ricin and possession of a document which contained al-Qaeda training material.
He had been due to stand trial for four weeks at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, having denied the charges last year. But he dramatically changed his plea on the first day of the trial.
Six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe were killed in the attack on 29 July 2024, while nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar died from her injuries in hospital afterwards.
A further five children and two adults were rushed to a hospital in critical condition with knife injuries after he ambushed the children’s holiday class at the Hart Space in Southport, where girls were due to have a fun morning of making bracelets, dancing to Taylor Swift and yoga.
The prime minister said there were “grave questions” to answer over the state’s failure to protect the girls after it emerged Rudakubana had been referred to the government anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times, amid concerns over his fixation with violence.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “Britain will rightly demand answers, and we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”
His comments came after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for a “complete account of who in Government knew what and when” about the case.
The tragic attack sparked a string of far-right riots across the country after misinformation was spread online about the killer’s identity.
The day after the attack, thousands turned out for a peaceful vigil in Southport. But a separate protest outside a mosque became violent, with missiles thrown at police and vans set on fire. More than 1,000 arrests have since been made in connection with the widespread disorder, with hundreds charged and jailed.
Rudakubana, who was described by the Crown Prosecution Service as having “sickening” fascination with death and violence, was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff before his family moved to Banks, Lancashire. He was 17 at the time of the incident.
Reporting restrictions preventing him from being named due to his age were overturned at a court hearing in August.
After he changed his plea, the trial judge Mr Justice Goose judge told Rudakubana it was inevitable that a life sentence equivalent would be imposed upon him at his sentencing hearing on Thursday.
The teenager, wearing a surgical mask, remained seated in the dock as he entered guilty pleas, refusing to stand when asked to by the court clerk and judge after entering court. He did not reply when asked to confirm his name.
But after a brief, inaudible interaction with the suspect, Stan Reiz KC, defending, asked for the charges to be put again to Rudakubana. Wearing a face mask, seated with his head almost touching his knees, Rudakubana replied “guilty” to each of the 16 counts on the indictment.
But the unexpected nature of his guilty plea meant that the families of Rudakubana’s young victims were not in court to hear him admit to his crimes, as it was assumed the trial would open on Tuesday.
Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, 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”, while prosecution lawyers said they would speak with the families prior to Rudakubana’s sentencing on Thursday.
Following his plea, it can now be reported that Rudakubana’s teachers had concerns about his behaviour, and he was excluded from his secondary school for an incident involving a hockey stick.
The teenager, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, is believed to have left Range High School in Formby in around 2019, before moving to a specialist school, where teachers were reported to be concerned by his violence towards others.
At his first appearance at Liverpool Crown Court, Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, said it was understood Rudakubana had been unwilling to leave the house and communicate with his family for a period of time.
He refused to engage with psychiatrists at the police station, Ms Heer told the court, which heard Rudakubana had no obvious evidence of mental health disorder which required diversion to hospital.
Ursula Doyle, deputy chief crown prosecutor with CPS Mersey-Cheshire, described the onslaught as a “meticulously planned rampage” carried out by a killer with a “sickening” interest in death and violence.
“This was an unspeakable attack – one which left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and senselessness,” she said in a statement issued after he changed his plea.
“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.”
