Axel Rudakubana pleads guilty to Southport murders

To Liverpool and the case of the Southport murders. Today, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in a knife attack last year on the first day of his trial. Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this morning over the horrific events of last year, which saw nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Bebe King lose their lives after being attacked at a dance class.

At a previous hearing, not guilty pleas had been entered on Rudakubana’s behalf – but today he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and two terror-related charges. He was also accused of producing ricin, a biological toxin, and was charged under the Terrorism Act after an Al-Qaeda training manual was found in his possession. Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday at 11am, with the judge telling the accused that it is ‘inevitable’ that a life sentence will be imposed.