A man who killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class in Southport, England last summer has been sentenced.
Axel Rudakubana was given a life sentence with a minimum of 52 years in prison. He admitted to the deadly attack, which happened in July 2024. Merseyside Police announced the sentencing on.. Continue reading here ▶
Thursday, January 23, on X (formerly Twitter). News of the sentencing was also reported by the Associated Press, CNN, and the BBC.
On Monday, January 20, 18-year-old Rudakubana pleaded guilty in Liverpool Crown Court to murdering 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. The attack took place on July 29, 2024, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space community center.
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Police said on X, “We want to remember Bebe, Elsie, and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and the children and adults who were seriously hurt, and the young victims who were deeply traumatized by what they saw that day.”
According to the BBC, Judge Julian Goose said during the sentencing that Rudakubana intended to kill all 26 children at the class if he could have.
The BBC also reported that Rudakubana, who is from Banks in Lancashire, admitted to three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. He also admitted to two terror-related charges for having the poison ricin and an Al-Qaeda training manual.
Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the stabbing, which also injured eight other children and two adults, including the event organizer and yoga teacher, Leanne Lucas. The class was for children between 6 and 11 years old, according to The Telegraph.
Merseyside police previously stated that over 50 police officers in Southport were injured in a riot that broke out the day after the stabbings during a vigil for the victims.
The New York Times reported that false information about the suspect’s identity (which wasn’t released at the time) spread quickly online, especially by far-right accounts. Riots occurred throughout England, and hundreds of people were arrested.
After the attack, Taylor Swift posted on her Instagram Stories, saying she was shocked and deeply saddened by the attack in Southport.
She expressed her sympathy to the families of the victims and everyone affected by the “horrendous trauma.” She added, “These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”