THIS is the chilling moment Southport terrorist Axel Rudakubana storms a Taylor Swift dance class to carry out his murderous rampage.
The 18-year-old was today jailed for at least 52 years for stabbing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, to death on July 29.
Chilling footage shows Axel Rudakubana arriving at the dance class to begin his rampage
The monster had covered his face with a mask as he arrived in a taxi
ReutersRudakubana then murdered three innocent young girls[/caption]
PAElsie Dot was stabbed to death at a dance class[/caption]
PABebe King, 6, was among the youngsters stabbed to death[/caption]
PAAlice Dasilva Aguiar was also left dead in the rampage[/caption]
Chilling footage released by police shows Rudakubana arriving at the building in the back of a taxi ready to kill.
Hiding behind a surgical mask, the monster refuses to pay the driver, who repeatedly asks him: “Cash or card?”
He then exits the vehicle and makes his way to the community centre, where 26 innocent children had excitedly gathered for the booked-out class.
Rudakubana attempts to gain entry through a large door before sneaking in through an open stairwell to his right.
Once inside, the triple killer unleashed his rampage – slashing at children and adults one-by-one.
Read more on the tragedy
Axel Rudakubana was sentenced today over the Southport massacre
The monster told police “I’m glad they’re dead” after the horror
A dance teacher made a heartbreaking victim impact statement
The families of victims told how their lives were ‘shattered in an instant’
Shocking pictures show a cache of weapons found in Rudakubana’s home
All the missed chances to stop the killer have been revealed
A Sky News reporter broke down on air while covering the sentencing
Liverpool Crown Court heard details of the children’s injuries that were so horrific, their parents asked the media not to repeat them.
Rudakubana was warned it is unlikely he will ever be released from jail after he was handed a minimum term of 52 years for the horrific triple murder.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Goose said would have killed all 26 children in the community space if he could have done.
He also said it was highly unlikely that Rudakubana will ever be released.
The court was also told after killing the girls, the monster told police “It’s a good thing those children are dead… I’m so glad… so happy”.
As he was held in a custody suite following the rampage, the teen continued: “I don’t care, I’m feeling neutral.
“Literally, such a good thing those kids are dead, 6 years old… So happy, 6 years old. It’s a good thing they are dead, yeah.”
The shameless triple killer today caused further anguish for the victims’ families with his courtroom stunts.
Rudakubana, who had refused to speak during his previous hearings, was removed from dock shortly after the sentencing began shouting that he was “ill” and needed a paramedic.
As he left, one family member shouted “coward” as others shook their heads.
He was then removed for a second time after lunch when he made another vile outburst.
Rudakubana had pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and ten of attempted murder.
The teen, who had been due to stand trial before the dramatic U-turn, also admitted two terror offences after police found ricin and an Al-Qaeda manual at his home.
Despite this, police are still not treating the July attack as terror-related.
Why didn’t judge give Southport killer a whole life tariff?
AXEL Rudakubana carried out his twisted rampage when he was 17 years old but despite the horrific nature of his crimes, he was not be given a whole life tariff.
The rare sentencing order can only be handed down to anyone aged 21 or over.
Due to Rudakubana’s age, this means he will not spend the rest of his life in prison.
Whole-life orders can sometimes be considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.
Although Rudakubana is now 18, he does not fall into this category due to the fact he was 17 when he committed his offences.
The killer was instead be given a life sentence but with a minimum tariff. This means he must spend that amount of time behind bars before he is considered for release.
The judge imposed a minimum term of 52 years, which is one of the highest on record and is thought to be the longest punishment handed to a killer of his age.
Taking into account the 175 days he has already served on remand, he will be required to serve 51 years and 190 days before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
Despite the length of the minimum term, it has already been referred to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, 23, was handed a record-breaking 55-year minimum term in 2020 for 22 murders and attempted killings. The terrorist orchestrated the 2017 atrocity when he was 20.
Prior to that, the longest minimum term imposed on a terrorist in Britain is believed to have been 50 years in the case of David Copeland.
The 22-year-old was given six life sentences for targeting Brick Lane, Soho and Brixton in 1999 in a 13-day nail bombing campaign that left three people dead and 139 injured.
In harrowing victim impact statements, the families of the victims branded Rudakubana a “coward” as he was sentenced.
Jenny Stancombe, whose daughter Elsie was murdered, said the killer was “cruel and pure evil”.
She added: “We are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken away from us, because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it.
“We will not let you know anything about her because you don’t deserve to know the extraordinary person she was.
“You know what you have done, and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every single day.”
Alice’s parents told how their lives were “shattered” and turned upside down by her killing.
They said: “It feels like we’re stuck in a 5D horror movie with moving pictures and moments being relived. We can’t get out.
“Some moments are easier than others but every day is the same. Alice is not here when we wake up and she never will be.”
Rudakubana had a “sickening interest in death” and had made chilling searches for school massacres before carrying out the rampage.
His morbid fascination saw him flagged three times to anti-terror programme Prevent but no further action was taken.
He also contacted Childline in October 2019 and asked, “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?”
As a result, the killer was free to storm the Hart Space community centre and begin senselessly knifing terrified children and adults.
The horror unfolded last summer as 26 excited children gathered for the dance class to kick off the summer holidays.
Rudakubana was a coward to the end – he couldn’t resist causing family further anguish
By Holly Christodoulou, Digital Court Editor
SLUMPED in the dock with a mask covering his face, vile Axel Rudakubana had remained silent through each of his previous court hearings.
The twisted teen only opened his mouth for the first time on Monday when he entered his pleas, muttering “guilty” to all 16 charges put before him.
But Rudakubana appeared to have found his voice today as he wailed from the courtroom: “I need to speak to a paramedic, I feel ill.”
His sickening courtroom stunts no doubt have caused further misery for the victims’ families who have remained stoic through proceedings.
The tension was palpable as one family member finally broke – branding the triple killer a “coward” as he continued to moan from the dock.
The judge then ordered Rudakubana be removed so the hearing could continue without any more disruptions.
There was always a fear that he would attempt to make today all about him rather than giving his multiple victims the platform they deserve.
But as silence fell again, it all became all about those caught up in the carnage that fateful day.
In an emotional move, those in the court were given the chance to leave as graphic details were read by the prosecutor.
The grieving families made the brave decision to remain as their children’s final seconds on earth were played out in front of them.
There were gasps from the public gallery as horrific CCTV showed how the 12 minute rampage unfolded.
One woman sobbed and put her hand over her face during one moment so harrowing it would be insensitive to repeat it.
The court also heard details of the children’s injuries that were so horrific, their parents asked the media not to repeat them.
As the prosecutor said, their wounds were “difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature”.
It’s hard to believe that as these innocent girls made friendship bracelets and danced to Taylor Swift that their lives would be ended in such a barbaric way.
No parent waves goodbye to their child expecting it to be the last time.
Equally, no innocent child looking forward to a special dance class would expect a monster to burst through and shatter so many lives in the space of just 12 minutes.
The ripples from what happened on July 29 will be felt forever – not just for the victims’ families but for the whole of the country.
For every parent who has ever signed their child up for an event during the summer holidays just hoping they will have fun.
For those who live in Southport and will probably never forget the screams that came from the building that day.
And of course those brave adults who put their own lives on the line to save as many lives as they could.
Now Rudubakana has been sentenced, questions will of course need to be asked but today is not the Axel show – despite his best efforts.
Today is about securing justice for Bebe, Elsie and Alice.
The two-hour event had been organised by instructors Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle at The Hart Space.
Just three miles away, Rudakubana had armed himself with a 20cm knife as he prepared to put his murderous plan into action.
Footage showed the killer pacing outside his home before being picked up in the taxi.
Just 30 minutes later, Rudakubana arrived at the community centre as the children sang Taylor Swift songs and made friendship bracelets.
Leanne opened a window due to the summer heat and saw the masked teen outside but thought nothing of it.
But seconds later, the door opened and Rudakubana stormed into the class and began attacking children and adults at random.
Screams rang out as the killer teen systematically made his way through the room stabbing his victims with the black-handled Cerbera kitchen knife.
As the desperate children tried to flee, Rudakubana chased after them and slashed them from behind.
Hero dance teacher Leanne was stabbed 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.
Businessman Jonathan Hayes, who was working in the office next door, was attacked after he ran inside and bravely tried to stop the carnage.
Rudakubana could be seen pacing 30 minutes before he murdered three children
At 11.57am – 12 minutes after the rampage began – police stormed the scene.
Officers found Rudakubana holding the large, bloodied kitchen knife and he was arrested.
Police searching the killer’s home found a shocking cache of weapons – including knives bought on Amazon and crossbow bolts.
His purchase on the online shop when he was 17 came despite his history of violence.
Rudakubana was also able to buy equipment to make deadly poison ricin, which was also found at his home.
The Sun told how he exploited limited checks allowing blades to be sent without ID, with Amazon now launching an urgent probe.
Chillingly, just one week before the attack, Rudakubana is feared to have plotted a similar attack on his old school.
A horrifying machete and sheaf was found during a search of the killer’s home
A number of arrows were also found during the search
He booked a taxi – the same way he travelled to the Taylor Swift-themed dance class – under a fake name from his home to take him to the Range High School.
It is believed he’d been planning to target pupils on the last day of term as they broke up for the summer holidays.
But he was stopped from making his journey when his dad ran out and intervened.
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.
As a child, Rudakubana displayed vicious behaviour in school as his obsession with violence grew.
Timeline of events related to the Southport stabbings
AXEL Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Here is a timeline of events relating to the case:
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.
The teen, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, left Range High School in Formby in around 2019 over claims he brought a blade into class and made threats to attack another pupil.
Police were called in and the Year 9 student – then aged just 13 – was sent home and later expelled.
But he returned to his former school armed with a hockey stick and a “hit list” of students he wanted to attack.
Rudakubana was then sent to a specialist school but teachers became concerned over his behaviour.
His first referral to Prevent came in 2019 when he was aged 13 after he used computers at his own school to search for material on a school massacre.
Two years later, he was flagged again after viewing material on previous terror attacks – including those in London in 2017.
TERROR FEARS
Although there were no concerns over a particular ideology or religious hatred, his obsession with violence had caused fears.
But he was not found to have posed a terrorism risk and therefore did not reach the threshold for intervention by Prevent.
After one of the referrals, it was recommended that Rudakubana be referred to other services but is not known if this happened.
Lancashire Child Safeguarding Partnership said police responded to five calls from his home address – between October 2019 and May 2022 – relating to concerns about his behaviour.
The attack in Southport 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.
Sir Keir Starmer said this week that UK will “rightly demand answers” over the horror as he vowed the government will leave “no stone unturned in that pursuit”.
Speaking in Downing Street after the government announced a public inquiry, the PM said failings by the state “leap off the page”.
But he continued to deny there had been a “cover up” in the case – although admitted it was “clearly wrong” Rudakubana was deemed not to meet the threshold for intervention from Prevent.
While Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the inquiry would also “consider the wider challenge of rising youth violence and extremism”.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said today: “[The girls] had come together for a Taylor Swift-themed morning to enjoy dancing, singing and making friendship bracelets in honour of their idol.
“Those girls – who range in age from six to 13 – were the polar opposite of the calculating teenager who carried out the harrowing and atrocious, pre-meditated attack.”
She said documents and images found on his devices show he had a “long-standing obsession with violence, killing and genocide”.
The officer added: “We can say that from all those documents is that no one ideology was uncovered and that is why this has not been treated as terrorism.”
Rudakubana, pictured starring in a BBC advert for Children in Need, attacked children at random
GettyTributes left to the victims in Southport[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
