Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to murdering three girls at dance class

A teenager has admitted murdering three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July last year.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, from Lancashire, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on what was due to be the first day of his trial on Monday.

He refused to stand or confirm his name but then pleaded guilty to the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

He also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife over the attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July.

Eight other children, aged between seven and 13, were injured in the mass stabbing at The Hart Space, along with yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Rudakubana was 17 years old at the time of the attack, which has not been declared terror-related, according to Merseyside Police.

He further pleaded guilty to charges of producing ricin and possessing an al Qaeda training manual allegedly found in searches of his home in Banks, Lancashire, in the following days.

The judge, Mr Justice Goose said he would sentence the teenager on Thursday, telling him: "You will understand it is inevitable the sentence to be imposed upon you will mean a life sentence."

But he is not expected to be handed a whole life order, a sentence meaning he would never be released, because of his age at the time.

Judges can only impose the term on criminals who were aged 21 and over at the time of the offence, but it can be considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.

Not guilty pleas had previously been entered on Rudakubana's behalf to all 16 charges after he refused to speak in court at previous hearings.

He remained seated in the dock as he changed his pleas to guilty, while none of his victims' family members were in court as the trial had been expected to open on Tuesday.

Wearing a grey tracksuit and surgical face mask, he showed no emotion as he was taken down to the cells surrounded by four dock officers and an intermediary.

The Southport attack sparked a wave of violence across the country as riots broke out after posts spread online that claimed the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker, who had come to the country by boat.

After the guilty plea today, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: "This was an unspeakable attack, one that has left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and its senselessness.

"At the start of the school holidays, a day which should've been one of carefree innocence, of children enjoying a dance workshop and making friendship bracelets, became a scene of the darkest horror as Axel Rudakubana carried out his meticulously planned rampage.

"It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. He has shown no sign of remorse."

Concerns over violent behaviour in school

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, where neighbours of the family described a "lovely couple" with a hardworking father and stay-at-home mother to "two boisterous boys".

In 2013, they moved to the village of Banks, just a few miles outside of Southport, where his father, Alphonse Rudakubana, trained with local martial arts clubs.

A profile of Mr Rudakubana, printed in local newspaper the Southport Visiter in 2015, said he was originally from Rwanda, a country that suffered a deadly genocide in the early 1990s, and moved to the UK in 2002.

When he was 11 years old, Rudakubana appeared dressed as Doctor Who in a television advert for BBC Children In Need, after being recruited through a casting agency, it is understood.

The now-deleted clip shows him leaving the Tardis wearing a trench coat and tie to look like the show's former star David Tennant and offering advice on how best to raise money.

Neighbours described the family as unremarkable, but it can now be reported that teachers had concerns after he showed violent behaviour in high school.

Rudakubana, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, was expelled from Range High School in Formby in around 2019 over claims he was carrying a knife and he later returned to attack someone with a hockey stick.

He was then taught in two specialists schools, where teachers were concerned about his behaviour.

At his first appearance at Liverpool Crown Court, Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, said it was understood Rudakubana had been unwilling to leave the house and communicate with his family for a period of time before the attack.

"He was seen by the psychiatrists at the police station but refused to engage with them," she said.

The court was told he had no obvious evidence of mental health disorder which required hospital treatment and his mother, father and older brother were said to have been co-operating with police and had provided witness statements.

(c) Sky News 2025: Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to murdering three girls at dance class