A British teenager who killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has been jailed for at least 52 years in a crime that shocked Britain and triggered days of nationwide rioting.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted killing the girls and stabbing 10 others last July in the northern English town of Southport – an attack so violent prosecutors said it appeared he had tried to decapitate one of the victims.
He was said to have shown no remorse since the attacks six months ago, which prompted questions about how authorities failed to spot multiple warning signs about his behaviour.
Rudakubana refused to come into the courtroom as he was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, having been removed from the dock earlier due to disruptive behaviour – which included demands to see a paramedic and shouts of “I feel ill”. The teenager had unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all 16 charges he faced on Monday.
After the attack, a series of anti-immigrant riots broke out in Britain after disinformation about the perpetrator’s identity swirled on social media and messaging apps. False claims that he was an undocumented immigrant or newly arrived asylum seeker were amplified by far-right agitators.
Rudakubana is a British citizen who was born in Wales to parents originally from Rwanda.
Judge, Justice Julian Goose, sentenced him for three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder, one of producing the biological toxin ricin and one of possession of an Al-Qaeda training manual, an offence under the Terrorism Act.
In his sentencing remarks, he said: “I am sure Rudakubana had the settled determination to carry out these offences and had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child – all 26 of them.”
“He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody. I consider it likely he will never be released and he will be in custody for all of his life.”
