Southport killer pleads GUILTY to murdering three young girls in knife rampage at Taylor Swift dance class
SOUTHPORT "terrorist" Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift dance class.
The 18-year-old knifed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, to death on July 29.
Rudakubana was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court today charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
He was also accused of terror offences - although police are not treating the July 29 attack as terror related.
The teen pleaded guilty to all the charges against him - including possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
Rudakubana also admitted possession of information "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000".
And he admitted one charge of the "production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974".
This relates to an Al-Qaeda manual and ricin that were found at his home following the attack.
The horror unfolded on July 29 as children enjoyed a Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop at a community centre.
Rudakubana stormed into the class and began senselessly attacking terrified children and adults at random.
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Hero dance teacher Leanne Lucas was knifed in the arms, neck and back as she used her body to shield young girls from the knifeman.
Her colleague Heidi Liddle escaped uninjured after bravely locking some of the children inside a toilet.
Another adult, Jonathan Hayes, was stabbed in the leg as he tried to fend off the attacker after running into the class when he heard screams.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and has an older brother.
He moved to Banks, a village in Lancashire located a few miles from Southport, in 2013.
It can now be revealed that Rudakubana displayed violent behaviour in school and was excluded over an incident involving a hockey stick.
The attack sparked riots across the country - despite the local community and families of the victims calling for calm.
It came after false claims were spread online that the alleged killer was an asylum seeker.
Timeline of horror - how the attack unfolded
- 2002: Rudakubana's father Alphonse moves to the UK from Rwanda, according to an interview he gave to his local newspaper in Southport in 2015.
- August 7 2006: Rudakubana is born in Cardiff, Wales.
- 2013: The family - including Rudakubana's father, mother and older brother - move from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport.
- July 29 2024: Shortly before midday, a knifeman enters a dance class at The Hart Space in Hart Street in Southport.
Bebe, Elsie and Alice are fatally wounded. Eight other children are injured, as are instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. Police say they have detained a male and seized a knife.
Within hours, claims spread online that the suspect is an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. Some claims include an alleged identity.
- July 30 2024: In the evening, a peaceful vigil is held outside Southport's Atkinson arts venue, where flowers are laid in memory of those who died. Shortly after the vigil, a separate protest begins outside the town's mosque in St Luke's Road.
People throw items towards the mosque, property is damaged and police vehicles are set on fire.
- July 31 2024: Demonstrators gather in Whitehall, London, for an "Enough Is Enough" protest. Flares and cans are thrown at police and more than 100 people are arrested. Disorder also breaks out in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Aldershot, Hampshire.
- August 1 2024: Police announce that Rudakubana has been charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. He is not named by police because of his age.
He appears in court in Liverpool and Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC rules he can be named, as he is due to turn 18 in a week.
He initially smiled on entering the courtroom - then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings before the case was adjourned.
Later that evening, demonstrators gather outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester.
- August 2 2024: Three police officers are taken to hospital after disorder in Sunderland.
- August 3 2024: There are scenes of violence during planned protests across the UK, including in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast.
- August 4 2024: Disorder continues, including outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where masked demonstrators launch lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers.
- August 5 2024: The Government holds an emergency Cobra meeting in the wake of the disorder and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vows to "ramp up criminal justice". That evening, a peaceful vigil is held in Southport, a week on from the killings. Police deal with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.
- August 7 2024: Prison sentences for those involved in the unrest begin to be handed out. Derek Drummond, 58, is the first person to be jailed for violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, where he is sentenced to three years.
More than 100 protests are planned for across the country, with counter-demonstrations taking place, but the majority of police forces report very little trouble.
- October 29 2024: Merseyside Police announces Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court via videolink the next day charged with 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.
- October 30 2024: Rudakubana appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court via videolink from HMP Belmarsh to face the two new charges. He holds his sweater over the bottom half of his face and does not respond when asked to confirm his name.
- November 13 2024: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink. He covers his face with his grey sweatshirt and does not speak throughout the hearing. About 20 family members of victims sit in the public gallery. The case is adjourned until December 12, when a preparatory hearing will take place.
- January 20 2025: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court for the first day of his trial where he pleads guilty to all 16 charges, including the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
Global superstar Taylor Swift paid tribute to the victims and met the families of those affected at her Eras tour in London.
A day after the attack, she posted on Instagram: “The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock.
“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
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“These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Rudakubana was remanded into custody to be sentenced on Thursday.
More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
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