Jasmine Andersson
Axel Rudakubana jailed for 52 years - Southport attack sentencing, as it happened
Rudakubana will likely spend the rest of his life in jail after murdering Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9.
Harriet Sinclair
·Deputy News Editor
Updated
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The 18-year-old admitted killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9 in a knife attack last July.
He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Rudakubana was sentenced in his absence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after indicating he would be “disruptive” if he was made to appear in court.
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The judge said Rudakubana would not be given a whole-life order because he was 17 when he carried out the attack, but that he was likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Mr Justice Goose said it was Rudakubana’s aim to “carry out mass murder of innocent, happy young girls” and that he would have killed all 26 children present if he had the opportunity.
He said he “must accept” there was no evidence he acted for a terrorist cause, but added Rudakubana’s actions were the “equivalent” of terrorist murders.
“It was such extreme violence…it is difficult to comprehend why it was done.”
'Act of a coward'
Victim impact statements from Alice’s and Elsie’s families were read to Liverpool Crown Court.
Elsie’s mother Jenny Stancombe described Rudakubana as “cruel and pure evil” and said his attack was the “act of a coward”.
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In her statement, read to the court by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC, she said: “The nature of your actions is beyond contempt.
“You deliberately chose that place, fully aware that there would be no parents present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves.
Alice’s parents said: “Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls.”
In a separate statement read out in court afterwards, Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar said their daughter Alice’s death had “shattered our souls”.
They said: “In a matter of minutes our worlds were shattered and turned upside down by the devastating attack on our Alice."
‘Act of a coward’ – mother of Southport victim’s words for daughter’s killer (PA Media)
Parents of girl, 9, killed in Southport describe her joy the morning she was murdered (Wales Online)
Sentence sparks calls for law change
The Southport killer’s record-high 52-year sentence will be reviewed amid criticism it was not long enough after mounting calls for law changes to see child criminals like him die in jail.
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Because Rudakubana carried out the crimes just nine days short of his 18th birthday, it means by law he cannot be sentenced to a whole life order which means he would never be released from jail.
The sentence prompted Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch among others to call for a change in the law that would give judges “discretion” to award whole life sentences to those under 18.
Read more from Yahoo's media partners
Warning signs missed: Southport killer Axel Rudakubana’s parents asked police four times for help (The Independent)
Declaring Southport attack as terrorism would have helped, detective says (The Guardian)
Pictures show armoury of weapons Southport killer stored in bedroom (PA Media)
Chilling footage shows moment Rudakubana strolls up to entrance of dance class (PA Media)
Yahoo News has finished its live coverage of this hearing. Read how it unfolded. (Warning: The coverage below contains distressing details)
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER114 updates
Prince of Wales visited Liverpool during trial to 'show support'
The Prince of Wales was reportedly keen to continue his visit to Merseyside to show his support for the community as the sentencing of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana was taking place in Liverpool at the same time.
The royal heir took a tour of the centre, which is due to be completed in February with the help of funding from The Royal Foundation’s community impact programme, met young people involved in fundraising for the project and joined in a game of football before meeting Sir Kenny and former Everton players Ian Snodin and Graham Stuart on Thursday.
- Jasmine Andersson
How the Southport stabbings sparked violence across the country
The summer riots which saw violence across the country were sparked by the stabbings carried out by a Axel Rudakubana in Southport.
The then 17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment and a minimum of 52 years in prison for murdering three children and attempted to murder eight other children and two adults in his attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town.
Within hours of his attack, posts spread on the internet which claimed the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker, who had come to the country by boat last year.
Read the full story from PA Media.
- Jasmine Andersson
Shadow home secretary: Rudakubana should never be released
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (PA Images via Getty Images) The shadow home secretary said Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana “should never be released from prison” and called for whole life orders to apply to cases such as his.
Rudakubana was 17 when he carried out the atrocity and anyone under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to a whole life order.
Chris Philp said in a post on X: “Rudakubana should never be released from prison Whole Life Orders – where the person convicted can never be released – should be available for cases such as this.
“The inquiry must find out if chances were missed to stop this happening. It must also cover what happened afterwards.
“In other cases, the public were told more after an arrest. The Prime Minister and CPS could have been more open with the public.
“This would have avoided misinformation filling the void, and fuelling the riots. The inquiry must address this issue too.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Sentence 'unduly lenient' - Southport MP
Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport (James Speakman/PA Images via Getty Images) Southport’s MP has asked the Attorney General to review Axel Rudakubana’s sentence as “unduly lenient”, saying it is “not severe enough”.
In a post on social media, Patrick Hurley said: “The sentence handed down today is not severe enough, it is not long enough for the crimes committed, we need a sentence that represents the severity of this crime that has terrorised the victims and their families.
“I have submitted a review to the Attorney General to review the sentence, the undue leniency does not reflect the crimes committed and a review is required to uphold public confidence in our justice system.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'Alarm bells were ringing for many years' over Rudakubana
Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza (PA Images via Getty Images) The Children’s Commissioner for England said “alarm bells had been ringing for many years” over Axel Rudakubana and “there can be no doubt that there was a failure of the state to protect these innocent children” from the killer.
In a statement, Dame Rachel de Souza said: “He was well-known to police, anti-extremism authorities and a number of other public agencies for his violent behaviour. Concerns by his parents were also ignored and overlooked.
“Alarm bells had been ringing for many years. There can be no doubt that there was a failure of the state to protect these innocent children from Axel Rudakubana.
“Tragically it’s too late for these victims, these families and survivors, and so we need action now to stop further attacks by dangerous people already known to multiple agencies. We must intervene as early as possible to stop preventable crimes that destroy lives and communities.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Pictures show armoury of weapons Southport killer stored in bedroom
A plastic container seized at Old School Close (Merseyside Police/PA Wire) Pictures have been released of the armoury of weapons teenage killer Axel Rudakubana stored in his bedroom.
When police raided his home after he carried out the attack in Southport on July 29, they found knives, archery arrows and a mystery substance later confirmed to be ricin, a biological toxin 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide.
The poison was found in a sealed food container under his bed at Old School Close, Banks, where officers also found a pair of safety goggles, a lab beaker and a pestle and mortar.
Read the full story from PA.
- James Hockaday
Declaring Southport attack as terrorism would have helped, detective says
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye speaking at Merseyside Police HQ, ahead of the sentencing. (Alamy) The detective who led the investigation into the Southport atrocity said he would have been “happy” for it to be declared as terrorism as it would have given officers more time to investigate the killings.
DCI Jason Pye said the question of whether Axel Rudakubana’s attack was terrorism had been “assessed on an almost daily basis”.
Speaking after the 18-year-old was jailed for 52 years on Thursday, Pye said his investigators would have had longer to question the attacker and compile evidence if it had been declared a terror attack.
Read the full story from the Guardian
- Jasmine Andersson
Starmer: 'One of the most harrowing moments in our country's history'
Live blog graphic Just In Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the atrocity in Southport was “one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history”.
In a televised clip, he said that “vile offender” Axel Rudakubana “will likely never be released”.
Watch the clip below.
My statement on Southport https://t.co/khbL9cIwNr
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 21, 2025
Starmer continued: “The thoughts of the entire nation are with the families and everyone affected by the unimaginable horrors that unfolded in Southport. No words will ever be able to capture the depth of their pain.
“I want to say directly to the survivors, families and community of Southport – you are not alone. We stand with you in your grief.
“What happened in Southport was an atrocity and as the judge has stated, this vile offender will likely never be released.
“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve.”
- Jasmine Andersson
‘She was so injured, her Daddy couldn’t recognise her’: Victims’ heart-breaking court statements
Live blog graphic Recap The children who suffered life-changing injuries during the Southport attacks, as well as the victims’ families, have described in heartbreaking detail the horrors of their shattered lives.
In a series of victim impact statements read out at Liverpool Crown Court, young girls who were violently and repeatedly stabbed described the immense pain, the physical and the psychological scars that they will live with forever; the flashbacks, the screams and the guilt.
Their parents told of the devastating impact to family life, while those who lost their children described how their own lives had been destroyed in an instant.
Read the full story on The Telegraph.
- Jasmine Andersson
Sky reporter breaks down in tears during coverage
Sky News reporter Sarah Jayne-Mee breaks down while hearing evidence from Southport trial. Sky News reporter Sarah-Jane Mee broke down in tears reading out evidence from court in the sentencing of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana.
Rudakubana, 18, stabbed and killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe., with a 20cm-long kitchen knife as he ambushed a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside.
Reporting live from outside Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (23 January), the broadcaster became visibly emotional as she recounted evidence from police arriving at the scene.
Read the full story from The Independent.
- Jasmine Andersson
Request to question 52-year term received 'within minutes'
Within minutes of Axel Rudakubana being jailed, the law officers announced they had received a request to consider whether the 52-year minimum term was too short.
The Attorney General’s office said the case was referred under the unduly lenient sentence scheme – just one request is needed for it to be considered.
The law officers – Attorney General Lord Hermer and Solicitor General Lucy Rigby – have 28 days to decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.
There is a high threshold for a successful reference under the scheme – the sentence must be deemed to be not just lenient but unduly so, for example if the judge has made an error or imposed a sentence outside the usual range associated with the circumstances of an offence.
Even then, the Court of Appeal may decide to refuse to review the case or uphold the existing sentence.
The minimum term Rudakubana must serve in custody is one of the highest on record and is thought to be the longest punishment handed to a killer of his age.
- Jasmine Andersson
Warning signs missed: Southport killer Axel Rudakubana’s parents asked police four times for help with teen
Axel Rudakubana’s parents asked police for help to cope with their violence-obsessed son in one of a string of callouts over his worrying behaviour before the Southport attack, it can be revealed.
Officers from Lancashire Constabulary attended the family’s three-bedroom home four times between 2021 and 2022, but each time failed to identify the threat he posed.
The revelations come after the 18-year-old was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison for carrying out the horrific attack which was described by a judge as a “pre-meditated attempt to commit indiscriminate mass murder”.
Read the full story from The Independent.
- James Hockaday
Southport MP says Rudakubana's sentence is 'not severe enough'
Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, has asked the Attorney General to review Axel Rudakubana’s sentence. (Alamy) Also joining calls for an expansion of who can be handed whole life orders is MP for Southport Patrick Hurley.
In a social media post, the Labour MP said: “The sentence handed down today is not severe enough, it is not long enough for the crimes committed, we need a sentence that represents the severity of this crime that has terrorised the victims and their families.
“I have submitted a review to the Attorney General to review the sentence, the undue leniency does not reflect the crimes committed and a review is required to uphold public confidence in our justice system.”
Ahead of the sentencing, Hurley said: “There appears to be no reason, no rationale, that I can accept that he would not be treated as an adult for the purposes of sentencing here, and if that’s not going to be the case, then I would like to see the law changed to make it the case.”
- Jasmine Andersson
CCTV and dashcam footage of the Southport killer released
CCTV and dashcam footage of the Southport killer before he carried out the deadly attack that saw him murder three girls and attempt to murder eight others has been released.
The killer was seen leaving a taxi without paying before carrying out the brutal attack.
Watch below.
- James Hockaday
Minimum term for Axel Rudakubana 'one of the highest on record'
A cour artist sketch of Axel Rudakubana, 18, shouting from the dock at Liverpool Crown Court. (Alamy) The minimum jail term handed to Axel Rudakubana is one of the highest on record and is thought to be the longest punishment handed to a killer of his age.
As he was 17 at the time of his knife attack on the Hart Space in Southport on 29 July 2024, Rudakubana was ineligible for a rare whole life order.
Taking into account the 175 days he has already served on remand, Rudakubana will be required to serve 51 years and 190 days before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, 23, was handed a record-breaking 55-year minimum term in 2020 for 22 murders and attempted killings.
Prior to that, the longest minimum term imposed on a terrorist in Britain is believed to have been 50 years in the case of David Copeland, who was given six life sentences for targeting Brick Lane, Soho and Brixton in 1999 in a 13-day nail bombing campaign.
- Jasmine Andersson
Conservatives call for change in whole life sentences law
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has issued a statement (PA Images via Getty Images) The leader of the Conservatives has released a statement calling for a change in the law to award whole life sentences to under 18s in extreme circumstances.
Axel Rudakubana was ten days off his 18th birthday when he killed three children and attempted to murder another eight.
"There is a strong case here for amending the law to give due judicial discretion to award whole life sentences to under 18s, which the Conservatives will start to explore," Kemi Badenoch's statement reads.
She added: "None of us can imagine your pain and we owe you justice."
- Jasmine Andersson
Axel Rudakubana sentenced
Footage of Axel Rudakubana being sentenced for a minimum of 52 years in prison has been posted by Sky News.
In the clip, the killer is sentenced to custody for life, with 13 life sentences.
Delivering the sentencing in Rudakubana's absence, Mr Justice Goose said it was unlikely he would ever be released from prison.
BREAKING: Southport triple murderer Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years
Latest: https://t.co/9O4RTjY5qO
Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/sFhlBrEN8d— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 23, 2025
- Jasmine Andersson
'Bebe, Elsie and Alice will never be forgotten'
The Southport victims (left to right) Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. (PA) Merseyside Police have now released a statement in response to the sentencing.
The post on X reads: "Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024.
"We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and the children and adults who suffered serious injuries, and those young victims who were severely traumatised by what they witnessed on that day.
Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024.
We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and the children and adults who… pic.twitter.com/8DvM4uvTvg— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) January 23, 2025
"Although no outcome at court could possibly ease the pain and trauma for the victims and their families, we hope that knowing he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison will bring them some comfort."
- Jasmine Andersson
Girls attacked exchanged hugs after sentencing
Police officers line the streets outside Liverpool Crown Court. (Getty) After the hearing ended and family members of the girls attacked by Rudakubana filed out of court, the girls and the families stood around in the corridor outside exchanging hugs as police officers watched in silence.
- Jasmine Andersson
'We must find way to tackle individuals fixated with extreme violence'
Senior national co-ordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans. (PA) Whether the killer's actions can be strictly defined as terrorism has been a hotly contested issue.
But following the sentencing, Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing, said the organisation "must now consider how we work together in the future" to tackle "individuals who are fixated with all types of extreme violence."
Evans said: “The perpetrator has shown no signs of remorse. He has not explained the motivation of his actions. And we have found no evidence to date that explains why he chose to attack those children or that event.
“The absence of evidence of a motivation means that these acts have not met the legal definition of terrorism. But, to be clear, that does not make the horrendous acts any less terrifying or terrorising for those impacted and the whole community.
- Jasmine Andersson
Rudakubana sentenced to 52 years in jail after receiving 13 life sentences
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana will serve a minimum of 52 years in jail after receiving 13 sentences of custody for life.
Delivering the sentencing in Rudakubana's absence, Mr Justice Goose said it was unlikely he would ever be released from prison.
- Jasmine Andersson
'Equivalent in seriousness to terrorist murders'
The judge dubbed the 29 July attacks "a mass killing."
"He saw the publicity for a children’s party and decided to kill as many as he could, targeting young children.
"In time, he was highly likely to use the ricin he had produced.
"It is equivalent in seriousness to terrorist murders.
"What he did has caused such shock and revulsion to the whole nation that it must be viewed as the extreme level of crime."
- Jasmine Andersson
'The damage has been profound and permanent'
On the victim impact statements, the judge said: "They are all deeply moving. The harm that Rudakubana has caused to each family, each child and to the community has been profound and permanent.
"For the families of Bebe, Elsie and Alice, they will never recover from what happened to their daughter."
He continued: "In just under 15 minutes, he murdered three children, attempted to murder eight children, and three adults.
"When police arrived, he was standing over Bebe King, holding a knife.
"While Rudakubana did not say anything in his police interviews, he did make unsolicited comments that are deeply disturbing."
- Jasmine Andersson
Who could dispute calling him evil - judge
Mr Justice Goose sentences Axel Rudakubana at Liverpool Crown Court. The judge continues: "He wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent happy and young girls. He wanted to cause maximum suffering."
"I believe he would have killed all 26 children if he could, and any adult who got in his way.
"Many who have heard the evidence […] and seen the CCTV recordings might describe what he did as evil, who could dispute it? But in any view, it was at least the most extreme, shocking crime."
- Jasmine Andersson
Mr Justice Goose begins sentencing remarks
Live blog breaking Sentencing Rudakubana in his absence on Thursday, Mr Justice Goose said: “During the sentence hearing, Axel Rudakubana was determined to disrupt the proceedings so he would not have to face the victims of his crimes and face justice.”
“What we have in the evidence in this case are detailed records from his school and those compiled by other organisation who have had contact with the defendant once he started to exhibit signs of deviant thinking.
“Those records confirm that he had difficulties with social communications and interaction in-line with his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, but the available evidence demonstrates that his time at primary school, and indeed during the first two years of secondary school, were unremarkable.
“Something changed in him when he reached the age of 13.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'For offences of such wickedness, the mitigation... is limited'
The defence will now present the mitigating circumstances for the judge to consider in sentencing.
Stan Reiz KC, defending, told the court: “For offences of such wickedness, the mitigation that I can meaningfully advance on behalf of the defendant is limited.”
Reiz said: “There is no psychiatric evidence before the court that could suggest that a mental disorder contributed to the defendant’s actions.
“However, he did make a transition from a normal, well-disciplined child to someone who was capable of committing acts of such shocking and senseless violence.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'My girls are in a state of paranoia constantly'
As a result of the attack, the woman told the court that one of her daughters now has “a complete lack of confidence” and has become “severely self-conscious of her scar”.
“She tries her best to wear her scars with pride, however I have caught her crying about the way she looks and she asks me why this has happened to her,” the statement read.
She said the girls “are unable to be left alone for even a matter of minutes” since the attack and are “in a state of paranoia constantly”.
The woman said: “As parents, we feel helpless, we feel guilty.
"We have to live with the guilt that we sent our children to that event on that day, which will now impact them for the rest of their life … trust has broken between us and our children, they constantly question us about whether they are going to be safe. It feels as though they blame us for taking them there that day.”
She added: “The girls are worried that this man will walk the streets again. This is something they constantly speak about and it petrifies them.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'It was the worst day of our lives'
The mother of two girls who survived the attack said the day “changed our lives as a family forever”.
In a statement read in court by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC, the woman said: “This was meant to be a fun summer event and the girls couldn’t wait to take part.
"It was a normal day, like any other, it didn’t cross our minds that we should be worried about anything happening to them.
“The whole day feels so surreal, like a blur. It was the worst day of our lives. Both our daughters suffered horrendous injuries at the hands of this one person.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'Within a few minutes, I heard screaming'
The mother of one of the injured girls said in a statement that she got her daughter tickets for the Taylor Swift themed event after she failed to get tickets for the US star’s concert in Liverpool.
The woman described to the court how she dropped her daughter off at The Hart Space and spotted a black male, wearing a hoodie and a face mask.
She said: “Something about the way he was acting unnerved me.”
The woman said: “Within a few minutes, I heard screaming” and said she saw girls running down the street, including her daughter. She said her daughter had blood on her legs which she first thought was make-up.
She said her daughter was “struggling to breathe and she didn’t want to die”.
The woman described how doctors saved her daughter’s life but had to remove her spleen.
She said: “At one point I thought if she died, I couldn’t live without her. I thought she would blame me for taking her to the event.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Ten-year-old victim: 'I still have nightmares'
The 10-year-old victim continues reading her impact statement to the court.
“I was holding my mum’s hand and I just felt heavy and sick. My entire body was in pain.
“I was in hospital for 12 days and at night I kept waking up with nightmares. I kept thinking someone would get into my room.”
The child had to have her spleen removed and skin grafts.
She continued: “I have a scar on my tummy and two scars on my back, and one on my side from the attack and the treatment.
“If I see anyone who looks like him or wearing a green top, I feel worried and scared.
“I still have nightmares once or twice a week where I replay what happened and wake up and feel a bit on edge.
“I think about all the other children that were there and I feel guilty that I wasn’t able to help the children that died and I think, ‘Was there anything I could have done to help them?’”
- Jasmine Andersson
'I was thinking, I have got to get out of here'
A victim statement is now being read from the first child Rudakubana stabbed in the attack.
The girl, aged 10 at the time of the attack, said: “I first thought that the man who stabbed me was a cleaner and when I saw him and what was happening I thought it was a prank.
“I realised it wasn’t a prank when I saw blood coming out of me. I remember everything being fuzzy and everything that was going through my mind was about my family and friends.
“I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to die, I have got to get out of here’.
“When I was outside of the building I was thinking what am I going to do as my phone was inside … I had so much blood coming out of me and I was trying to scream, but I was struggling to scream.
“Mum was screaming, I remember everything that happened with the paramedic and then going to hospital in the air ambulance."
- Jasmine Andersson
Killer has shown 'no remorse'
The parents of one of the injured children said in a statement that Rudakubana had shown no remorse.
They said: “This has always been about power and control. This person has abused his power as an adult in the most extreme of ways – to exert planned, sustained and unimaginable horror over the most powerless in our society, our children.”
The couple added: “He will not win though. He will not gain the notoriety he so desperately craves. He will not be remembered.
“When we think of Southport, we will think of the girls. Their bravery. Their strength.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Parent of one of the injured girls said she thought killer was 'playing a prank'
Warning: graphic details
In a statement, the parents of one of the injured girls said her father was unable to recognise her when he went to pick her up from the dance class because she was so badly injured.
They said: “This is one of many, many moments that tortures both of us.”
They said she was taken to Alder Hey Hospital.
They said: “She woke up still trying to grab onto her best friend. Still trying to escape him. Still trying to run.”
The parents said she told them she had thought Rudakubana was playing a prank and told him she “didn’t want to play”, but he attacked her.
They said: “Our daughter has not only experienced the most violent, frenzied attack on her body, but she’s witnessed so much horror too.
“Her entire childhood has been destroyed by what she experienced and although she survived, she now has to carry that with her for the rest of her life.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'There is no greater loss and no greater pain'
Elsie Dot Stancombe (PA) Addressing the presiding judge, the mother of Elsie Dot Stancombe said: “To you Justice Goose; He took our daughter, her life, her future and everything she could have been.
“There is no greater loss and no greater pain. His actions have left us with a lifetime of grief and it is only right that he faces the same.
“We hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on the gravity of what he has done, though if we go from his actions and behaviour during this process we have little faith that he will ever feel the remorse he should.
“There is nothing that can undo the damage he has caused but knowing that he will never be free to cause any harm to vulnerable children again would give us a small measure of justice.
“Perhaps he will have the opportunity to contemplate the fear and terror he inflicted upon those girls, and we sincerely want the consequences to reflect the irreparable damage he has inflicted.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'It was the act of a coward'
The mother of Elsie Dot Stancombe branded Rudakubana's actions “beyond contempt."
"You deliberately chose that place, fully aware that there would be no parents present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves.
“This was not an act of impulse, it was premeditated. You chose that place, that time and those circumstances, knowing that when we arrived all we would see was the aftermath of the devastation caused.
“We were robbed of the opportunity to protect our girls. If we had been there, this would never have happened and the outcome would have been vastly different.
“What you did was not only cruel and pure evil; it was the act of a coward.
“Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honour her memory, we will carry her love, positivity and her legacy forward, no matter how much pain you have caused."
- Jasmine Andersson
'We lost our best friend through an act of pure evil'
The victim impact statement of Jenny Stancombe, the mother of murdered 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, was read by the prosecutor.
The statement started by saying the family had lost their “best friend” through an act of “pure evil”.
Elsie's mother continued: “We are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken away from us, because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it.
“We will not let you know anything about her because you don’t deserve to know the extraordinary person she was.
“You know what you have done and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every day."
- Jasmine Andersson
'We will miss our perfect baby girl forever'
Alice Dasilva Aguiar Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar said in their statement: “Living without Alice is not living at all.
“It’s a state of permanent numbness.
“We can’t see her picture and videos, they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.
“We have her clothes, her teddies and other belongings. We’ll keep them safe and often hug them when we miss Alice.
“We also have the cat to hug. Alice’s cat. Niko misses her so much. We all do and will miss our perfect baby girl forever.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Instructor 'felt completely helpless'
Heidi Liddle, one of the class’s instructors, said she “felt completely helpless” after the attack because she “didn’t know how many children were hurt or where they were”.
In a statement read in court by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC, Ms Liddle said: “I felt isolated from everyone as I felt like I couldn’t leave my home. I was in tears constantly and didn’t feel safe in my own home.”
She went on to say: “The only time I left the house in the coming weeks was to go and see Leanne and the girls at hospital or to attend the funerals of the three girls, which was heartbreaking.
“I replayed the incident over and over in my mind, changing the sequence of events so that myself and the little girl I was with in the toilet, were stabbed and killed.
“I struggled with everyday things, like letting the dogs out, doing any activity that involved me being hunched over, such as hoovering, drying my hair and putting my daughter to bed in her cot, as I envisioned him coming behind me and stabbing me in the back.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Alice's death 'has shattered our souls'
Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar said in their statement that Alice woke up on the day she died excited about the dance workshop and a "perfect plan for a perfect day", playing at a friend’s in the pool later.
They continued: “In a matter of minutes our worlds were shattered and turned upside down by the devastating attack on our Alice.
“A pin drop that changed our lives forever.
“We kept our hopes up every second during Alice’s 14-hour fight. But, once she had lost her fight, we lost our lives.”
The Aguiars said: “Our life went with her. He took us too. Six months of continuous pain and a lifetime sentence. That’s what we got then and the life we live now.
“Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'Every day with Alice felt like a gift'
We are now hearing from Alice’s parents in a statement read by the prosecutors.
Speaking about their murdered daughter, Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar, said: “We were so lucky and privileged to have her.
“Every day felt like a gift.
“Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every day – she loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets.
“She loved Taylor Swift, Billy Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'The beginning of my nightmare started when I saw you'
Now a victim impact statement is being read out by a 14-year-old girl who survived the attack.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court via video link: “The beginning of my nightmare started when I saw you. I thought you were playing a joke. I saw you in your green hoody and face mask. The thing I remember most about you is your eyes. You didn’t look human, you looked possessed.
“I watched you stab someone and then I saw you coming for me. It was like slow motion. You stabbed me in the arm and instinctively I turned and that’s when you continued to stab me in the back although I didn’t feel it at the time. All I could hear was the screams.
“I was so scared of what you were doing and I was in a blind panic. I ran out onto the landing and there was a group of girls huddled and I began just screaming for the girls to get down the stairs.
“I remember I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get them out of the building and get away from you. I knew I was running for my life. I needed to try to get everyone out and to safety – that was my first thought.”
Describing the aftermath of the attack, the girl became emotional as she said: “Physically I’ve healed but my scars remain as a reminder of what you did to me, to us all.
“No sane person could do that. It’s sickening what you did, going in there knowing you’re going into a room full of defenceless children.
“Give me a reason for what you did. Arming yourself with a weapon and stabbing children. I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing we think you’re a coward.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'Our daughter is everything that Axel Rudakubana is not'
The tearful father of a nine-year-old girl, who cannot be identified, and was stabbed but survived, read out a victim impact statement on behalf of their family.
He said he asked his daughter to explain the impact the events have had on her.
Reading her words, he said: “It has been very hard to deal with what happened to me at Hart Space. I struggle with my emotions and I have scars that I know will be with me forever, but I want to look forward.
“When people in school asked me ‘Do you wish you weren’t there that day?’ I said that, in some ways, I wish I wasn’t, but also, if I wasn’t there, someone else would have been stabbed and they could have died, so I’m glad I might have stopped someone else getting hurt’.”
Her father continued: “These are not the words that any little girl, who just liked yoga and making bracelets, should ever need to say. Her words both horrify us and make us immeasurably proud.
“Our daughter is strong. Our daughter is positive. Our daughter is brave. Our daughter is beautiful.
“Our daughter loves and is loved. Our daughter sees the best in everyone.
“Our daughter is everything that Axel Rudakubana is not."
- Jasmine Andersson
'For Alice, Elsie, Bebe… and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you'
Children's yoga teacher Leanne Lucas who tried to stop the knifeman from attacking children in Southport. (Facebook) Leanne Lucas has now concluded her statement, adding: “The trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.
“There are times when I will spiral into trauma and the effect this has had on those close to me is unforgivable.
“The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma.
“He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.
“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.
“For Alice, Elsie, Bebe… and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Killer tried to carry out a similar attack the week earlier
Evidence suggests that Rudakubana may have tried to carry out a similar attack the week before, the prosecutor said.
On 22 July, the defendant booked a taxi in the name “Simon” to take him to The Range High School.
When it arrived outside his house, the defendant got into the rear seat, wearing a green hooded top with the hood up and a surgical mask. He had a rucksack with him.
Heer continued: “On this occasion, however, it seems that he was spotted by his father. As the car was about to set off, the defendant’s father ran out of the house and pleaded with the driver not to take him.
“There was an argument, but eventually the defendant got out of the car and returned to the house.
“It is unlikely to be a coincidence that this was the last day of term, with students due to leave the school premises at 12.30 for the summer.
“The court may infer that this was an earlier attempt to commit offences similar to those he was to carry out at The Hart Space a week later.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Lucas: I had no trust in society
Lucas continues to read her victim impact statement to the court.
“There was a long period of time after the incident where I felt I had no trust in society.
“I am trying to see the goodness in the world, however, the badness has been evidentially proven to me to exist, in plain sight, on our doorsteps, in our community.
“You never think this is going to happen to you, I never thought this was going to happen to me and now my mindset has been altered to it could happen to you and it will probably happen to you.
“I feel that I have lost the ability to accept people now as they are.
“I worked with teenagers, I never would have considered that they would hurt me or hurt younger children.”
- Jasmine Andersson
'I cannot stay in my own home alone'
Victim impact statements are now being read in court.
The dad of one unnamed nine-year-old victim, child C, yoga teacher and class leader on the day of the attack Leanne Lucas, and a 14-year-old girl who was present during the attacks will read statements to the court.
Firstly, we hear from Lucas.
Reading her victim impact statement to the court, class instructor Leanne Lucas said: “As a 36-year-old woman, I cannot stay in my own home alone.
“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot go to work.
“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot walk down the street without holding my breath as I bypass a person and then glance back to see if they’ve attempted to stab me.
“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot enter a public place without considering how I will get out in the event of an emergency.
“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Killer took knife to school 'to use it'
The prosecution said a referral over Rudakubana's suspicious behaviour was made to the police, who visited him.
The KC said: “To them he confirmed that he had indeed taken a knife to school and added that he thought he would use it if he became angry.
“The school was informed. By this time, the defendant had been temporarily excluded.
“But he has admitted taking a knife to school on about 10 occasions, when he did so the school made his exclusion permanent.”
Heer, the prosecutor, said referrals were made to the Multi-Agency Safeguard Hub (MASH), the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and social services.
She said that on October 17 2019 the defendant was enrolled at The Acorns School, Ormskirk, which is a Pupil Referral Unit.
During his admission meeting, he was asked why he had taken a knife to school. He replied: “To use it”.
- Jasmine Andersson
The killer's three referrals to Prevent
Prosecutor Deanna Heer said in July 2020 the killer returned to school under two to one supervision.
In February 2021 he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and in April 2021 he received a formal education and healthcare plan (EHCP).
During this period, three referrals were made to Prevent:
– In November 2019 a referral was made because the defendant had been researching school shootings during an information technology class.
– In February 2021 a referral was made following reports that he had uploaded to Instagram two images of Colonel Gadaffi.
– In April 2021 a referral was made because he had been found researching the London Bridge terror attack.
- Jasmine Andersson
Killer wanted to stab someone so TikTok account would be deleted
The killer wanted his embarrassing TikTok videos deleted by police (Picture alliance via Getty Images) Liverpool Crown Court heard that following reports of incidents at home, the defendant stopped attending school in May 2021.
Later, in March 2022, a place was found for him at Presfield High School, but he did not attend.
The prosecutor said: “On March 17 2022 he was reported missing. He was found by the police in possession of a small kitchen knife.
"He said that he wanted to stab someone so that he would get into trouble and his Tik Tok account, which contained embarrassing videos that he was unable to delete, would be closed down by the police.
"He said he had also thought about poisoning people, and had tried to make poison for the same reason.”
- Jasmine Andersson
Rudakubana asked Childline for advice about desire to kill someone
The prosecutor said that on October 4, 2019, Rudakubana contacted Childline and asked: “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?”
She said: “In the days that followed he explained that he hated someone at school who’d bullied him.
“He felt angry and wanted to kill them. He said he had taken a knife to school but would only use it if the person really annoyed him.”