'Evil' Southport killer jailed for minimum 52 years

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the "sadistic" murders of three young girls in an attack described as "shocking" and "pure evil".

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died while eight other children and two adults – dance class leader Leanne Lucas and businessman Jonathan Hayes – were seriously wounded.

The 18-year-old refused to come into the courtroom as he was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, having been removed from the dock earlier due to disruptive behaviour – which included demands to see a paramedic and shouts of "I feel ill".

Sentencing him, judge Mr Justice Goose said: "Many who have heard the evidence might describe what he did as evil, who could dispute it?"

Warning: This story will contain distressing details

Earlier, the details of Rudakubana's crimes were laid out in court for the first time in graphic detail – including CCTV and dashboard camera footage from outside the Hart Space studios on Hart Street.

• Me and girls were easy prey, says Southport survivor
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The court heard how, just after 11:45 BST on 29 July, Rudakubana moved through the sold-out Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, organised by Ms Lucas, "systematically" stabbing young girls as they sat making friendship bracelets and singing along to Swift's music.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC also described how Rudakubana gloated about the attacks as he was escorted through Copy Lane police station after his arrest – saying he was "glad the children were dead".

The teenager had booked a taxi to take him to Hart Street after leaving his home in Old School Close, Banks, west Lancashire, at 11:10 BST, the court was told.

Ms Heer played footage of Rudakubana asking the driver to point him to the address of the dance class – before getting out without paying.

The driver's dashboard camera also captured Rudakubana walk up the stairs of the Hart Space building to the first-floor studio which had 26 children, Ms Lucas, and her colleague and friend Heidi Liddle inside.

Seconds later, the sounds of screaming children filled the courtroom and the footage showed girls streaming out of the Hart Space dance studio.

The families of the victims cried in the public gallery as Ms Heer played footage of three of the girls staggering into the street and collapsing – including two of the survivors and Alice.

Unlike Bebe and Elsie Dot, Alice had managed to get out of the building despite her grave injuries, but collapsed by the car of a woman who had arrived to pick up her daughter.

Inside the studio, Bebe had been subjected to 122 knife wounds, while Elsie Dot had 85.

Ms Liddle and one other child were hiding in a locked toilet on a landing outside – Ms Liddle later describing how she realised that some of the children had not escaped when she heard them begging Rudakubana to stop.

The police arrived at Hart Street shortly before 11:59 BST – three officers and a member of the public, window-cleaner Joel Verite, charged up those stairs to find Rudakubana stood over the body of Bebe King holding a knife.

Police body-camera footage showed him tackled to the floor as Mr Verite shouted in utter shock and horror at the injuries he saw had been inflicted on Bebe.

A short time later Ms Liddle and the child hiding with her were seen sobbing in terror and relief as the police told them it was safe to emerge.

One of the survivors, a seven-year-old girl referred to as Child A, had been pulled back inside the building by Rudakubana as she tried to escape and was stabbed repeatedly, before managing to stagger into the street where she fell to the ground.

A statement written by the mother of Child A, read by Ms Heer, said her father had been "broken" by what happened to his daughter.

"Our daughter has not only experienced the most violent, frenzied attack on her body, but she's witnessed so much horror too."

The leader of the dance class, Ms Lucas, who read her statement in court, looked around the packed courtroom at the family members of fellow victims and survivors as she spoke.

She said: "He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.

"To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.

"For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi and the surviving girls, I'm surviving for you."

Victim impact statements were also read out by Ms Heer, in which the grieving families of two of the murder victims branded their daughters' killer as "pure evil" and said his actions had have left them in "continuous pain".

Stan Reiz KC, mitigating, told the court Rudakubana had appeared to have been a "normal child" until he reached 13.

Mr Reiz said: "There is no psychiatric evidence before the court that could suggest that a mental disorder contributed to the defendant's actions.

"However, he did make a transition from a normal, well-disciplined child to someone who was capable of committing acts of such shocking and senseless violence."

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Goose said: "I am sure Rudakubana had the settled determination to carry out these offences and had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child – all 26 of them."

Justice Goose confirmed the offences did not reach the legal definition of terrorism because he did not kill to further a political, religious or ideological cause.

However, he told the packed courtroom that whether the "motivation was terrorism or not misses the point".

"What he did on 29 July last year has caused such shock and revulsion to the whole nation, that it must be viewed as being at the extreme level of crime", the judge said.

"His culpability, and the harm he caused and intended, were at the highest."

Rudakubana was sentenced for three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder, one of producing the biological toxin ricin and one of possession of an Al Qaeda training manual, an offence under the Terrorism Act.

In a statement after the hearing, Elsie's family offered their gratitude to the emergency services who responded to the incident.

"We are so thankful for their bravery, compassion and strength which should serve as an inspiration to everybody," they said.

The family also thanked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales for arranging private meetings where they offered their condolences.

Earlier, the prime minister said "the thoughts of the entire nation" were with the families of Rudakubana's victims.

Sir Keir said: "I want to say directly to the survivors, families and community of Southport - you are not alone. We stand with you in your grief.

"What happened in Southport was an atrocity and as the judge has stated, this vile offender will likely never be released.

"After one of the most harrowing moments in our country's history we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve."

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