Southport killer Axel Rudakubana gloated he was ‘glad they’re dead’ after murdering three children
Share:
The court heard Axel Rudakubana, 18, talked about the attack while in police custody. Remorseless Axel Rudakubana appeared to gloat about his murderous attack after he was heard muttering he was “glad” his child victims were dead. Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC revealed the knifeman, who murdered three girls and wounded ten people in a horrific mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s holiday class in Southport, was recorded making the sinister comments after his arrest.
![[From left to right: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were all murdered by Rudakubana]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/23/02/d81490b1f46e418844357bcd115b2114Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NjU4MTU3-2.78745096.jpg)
Although the killer remained silent in police interview, he was heard speaking to himself as he paced the custody suite. Liverpool Crown Court was told on Thursday that Rudakubana could be heard saying: “I’m glad they’re dead.”. The violence-obsessed 18-year-old pleaded guilty to all 16 offences he faced on the first day of his trial on Monday.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following the stabbing at The Hart Space on a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on 29 July. The killer admitted their murders as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Cardiff-born Rudakubana further pleaded guilty to possessing a knife which he bought on Amazon, production of the biological toxin ricin, possession of a document which contained al-Qaeda training material. He is not expected to receive a whole-life order because he was 17 at the time of the attack. The sentence can normally only be imposed on criminals aged 21 or over and is usually only considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.
