A British teenager who pled guilty to fatally stabbing three girls at a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class in Southport, England, was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted killing the girls and stabbing 10 others last July in the northern English town, an atrocity that shocked Britain and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.
Merseyside Police issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, writing: “Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52-years for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024.”
Rudakubana killed 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. The 18-year-old also seriously wounded eight other children and two adults.
“We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and the children and adults who suffered serious injuries, and those young victims who were severely traumatised by what they witnessed on that day,” the police statement continued.
“Although no outcome at court could possibly ease the pain and trauma for the victims and their families, we hope that knowing he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison will bring them some comfort,” the statement concluded.
According to Reuters, prosecutor Deanna Heer told Liverpool Crown Court that Rudakubana was obsessed with violence and genocide, and two of his victims suffered such terrible injuries they were “difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature.”
Judge Julian Goose said he could not impose a full life sentence as Rudakubana was 17 when the attack took place but he was unlikely ever to be released.
Twice during Thursday’s hearing, Rudakubana was removed from the dock after shouting he was unwell. He refused to return to court to hear his sentence.
The court was shown harrowing video footage of screaming girls fleeing the building. One bloodied girl collapsed outside, provoking gasps and sobs from the court’s public gallery. “He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey,” Leanne Lucas, 36, the yoga teacher who organized the event and was stabbed five times, told the court.
Court evidence also showed Rudakubana took a taxi cab to the dance class of 26 students and police later discovered the toxic poison of ricin and a PDF file of “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” at his home in Banks.
After his arrest, Rudakubana told police: “I’m glad those kids are dead, it makes me happy.”
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