Southport knife killer Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to murdering 3 girls at Taylor Swift dance class
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An 18-year-old has pleaded guilty to murdering three girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport last year. Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, changed his plea on day one of a trial at Liverpool Crown Court where he was charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; who died following the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space shortly before midday on July 29.
Rudakubana – who it can now be reported had been reported to the government's Prevent counter extremism scheme at least three times – also pleaded to eight counts of attempted murder in relation to eight other children, who cannot be named. He has also pleaded guilty to the attempted murders of Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes and admitted the possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
The 18-year-old, who entered the dock wearing a grey prison issue jumper and wearing a blue medical face mask, also pleaded guilty to production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, and possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual".
