Axel Rudakubana likely to spend life in prison after being sentenced to 52 years for Southport murders
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Axel Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. A disturbed teenager who murdered three innocent girls in a mass stabbing at a children’s dance class in Southport and later gloated “I’m glad they’re dead” is likely to never be released from prison.
![[From left to right: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed in the mass stabbing]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/00/77df68ed3d73fa7808cfba0b9b65a72cY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NTg5MTY3-2.78745096.jpg)
Axel Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years for carrying out the horrific attack which was described as a “pre-meditated attempt to commit indiscriminate mass murder”. The remorseless killer, who admitted to 16 offences, was in the dock as the sentence was read out on Thursday.
![[Court artist sketch of Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana appearing at Liverpool Crown Court before he pleaded guilty]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/09/ec3ee8558a00051cd0d43bfd813b5e74Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NTY1NjEx-2.78748140.jpg)
Judge Mr Justice Goose said he was unable to hand him a rare whole life order because he was only 17 at the time of the attack on 29 July last year. He turned 18 just nine days after the attack. The teenager dramatically changed his plea on the first day of his trial on Monday, admitting to murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice, who died from her injuries in hospital after she fled the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday class.
![[Picture shows knife identical to that used in attack as part of police evidence]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/23/09/1231.jpg)
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to murder eight children who were wounded - with some stabbed in the back as they tried to escape - and two adults who tried to protect them. He further admitted to producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing a document containing an al-Qaeda training material, which included information on knife attacks which he used to help plot his assault.
![[A photo of Elsie Dot Stancombe among the flowers and tributes outside the Atkinson Art Centre in Southport]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/15/486f54c99db3499b38ecd8a508cfff43Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NTU5NzU0-2.78747724.jpg)
