Southport: Axel Rudakubana Pleads Guilty To Murder Of Three Children

In a last-minute change, Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to all the charges he was facing. The guilty pleas cover the knife attack at a Taylor Swift themed dance class which claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe on 29 July 2024, and charges of producing ricin and possessing an Al Qaeda training manual. Sentencing will take place on Thursday, with a life sentence being a mandatory punishment for murder.

The trial had been set to go ahead with not guilty pleas being entered on Rudakubana’s behalf but with no defence being offered. There had not been a plan to use a defence claiming diminished responsibility due to mental illness.

However, as trial proceedings were about to begin this morning at Liverpool Crown Court, Stan Reisz KC, defending, requested that the charges be read to his client again. In response, Axel broke his silence to pronounce one word, pleading guilty to each charge. Rudakubana thereby admitted the murder of three young girls and the attempted murders of eight more children and two adults in July, as well as producing ricin and possessing a terrorist training manual.

The judge told him it was "inevitable" that he would impose a life sentence in sentencing on Thursday.

Following the guilty pleas, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle gave a statement outside Liverpool Crown Court on behalf of the CPS:

She described Rudakubana as “a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence” and who “has shown no remorse“.

She went on to express relief that the families would be spared the spectacle of a lengthy trial and expressed sympathies with all those dealing with this profound loss.

Axel will appear in court for sentencing on Thursday.

ACCESS TO THE LAW: Understanding the Crime and Sentencing