First picture of Southport child killer following his Guilty Pleas

Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Monday, 20th January 2025, at 14:00hrs

He now faces a lifetime behind bars for his heinous crime

A man who carried out the most abhorrent attack on a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport has pleaded guilty to all charges.

Axel Rudakubana who was seventeen at the time of the attack that claimed the lives of three little girls and injured many more at the Hart Space community hub in Southport at the start of the summer holidays last year appeared at the crown court this morning.

He had stayed silent during previous court appearances but today at the start of his trial  charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, one count of possession of a bladed article, an offence under the Biological Weapons Act and an offence under the Terrorism Act pleaded guilty to all charges at Liverpool Crown Court.

The now eighteen year old from Banks in Lancashire will be sentenced on Thursday at the same court and faces a lifetime behind bars but will not receive a whole life order because of his age.

In a statement released today, Merseyside Police said:

“Axel Rudakubana, aged 18, from Banks in Lancashire has today (Monday 20 January 2025) pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to all 16 counts he was charged with.

They were three charges of murder; 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife – all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport on 29 July 2024.

He was additionally charged on 29 October with production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974; and possessing information, namely a pdf file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Following his guilty plea, Rudakubana was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 23 January for sentencing. The hearing is due to start at 11am.”