Merseyside Police release statement following sentencing of Axel Rudakubana

Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 52 years for the murder of three girls in Southport on 29 July 2024, the attempted murder of 10 others (eight children and two adults) and for possession of a knife in a public place, production of a biological  toxin namely ricin contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974 and possession of information, namely a PdF file entitled ‘Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al_Qaeda Training Manual, of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing, or preparing, an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, formerly of Old School Close, Banks pleaded guilty to all 16 charges against him on Monday 20 January, and was sentenced today at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was convicted of the murder of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Rudakubana was additionally convicted of 10 charges of the attempted murder of eight children and two adults, and one charge of possession of a knife – all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport on 29 July 2024.

He was today given 13 life sentences and will serve a minimum of 52 years in prison for the offences.

On the morning of 29 July last year, Axel Rudakubana booked a taxi to the Hart Space where 26 children were attending a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop.

He was carrying a knife bought online days earlier and after leaving the taxi without paying, he entered the building and carried out the appalling attack.

A thorough investigation at the home of Rudakubana led to the discovery of weapons, the ingredients necessary to make ricin and evidence that he had searched and viewed violent material online from a number of sources as well as downloading an academic study of an Al-Qaeda training manual.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye, the Senior Investigating Officer of this investigation said: “Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls at the Hart Space on 29 July. 

“Although no outcome at court could possibly ease the pain and trauma of their families, I hope that knowing Rudakubana will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison will bring them some comfort.

“His sustained and ruthless attack took away the lives of three beautiful little girls,  Bebe, Elsie and Alice, and the thoughts of everyone at Merseyside Police remain with their families. Our thoughts are also with the young girls who suffered serious injuries, and all of those who were traumatised by what they saw on that morning.

“The incident also impacted on the community of Southport and has been felt across the country. This was the most harrowing, large-scale investigation that our force has ever dealt with and I want to praise the commitment, dedication, and sheer determination of the investigation team who have never had to deal with anything like this before.

“Having committed the most heinous of crimes, Rudakubana then tried at various points of the process to frustrate justice, by remaining silent and resisting co-operation. 

“That he chose to plead guilty on the first day of trial at least spared the families and all those affected a trial that they had until that moment feared would compound their grief and distress further.

“Even today, he had to be removed from the dock after repeated attempts to disrupt the sentencing hearing by shouting as the prosecution tried to lay out the details of his awful crimes. 

“I am pleased to see that – thanks to the determination of everyone involved in the legal process – all his efforts to frustrate the process were in vain and he has now faced justice for his terrible actions.

“I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all those first responders who went to the scene that day and were confronted with unimaginable horrors. Officers went into the building to detain the suspect, emergency services tended to the wounded and members of the public bravely assisted with efforts to help those inside. All will no doubt still be affected by what they witnessed for the rest of their lives.

“I would also like to thank the Investigation Team for their steadfast determination to painstakingly go through every piece of evidence recovered in this investigation to make sure we were able to present the CPS with a comprehensive file of evidence to ensure that justice was done for the victims and their families. I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that this is probably the most harrowing case we have collectively worked on and our thoughts for the family have helped to keep us grounded and focussed despite the traumatic nature of what we were all dealing with.

“I want to thank Counter Terrorism Policing for their unwavering support and advice and the CPS for their support and guidance to ensure we could get justice for Bebe, Elsie and Alice, the injured girls and adults and those who were traumatised by what they saw in the room that day, but miraculously managed to escape.

“Finally, although Rudakubana has been sentenced to prison today, the pain felt by those families will continue for the rest of their lives and I want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten.

“Their families, and those of all the children and adults affected, have behaved with incredible dignity and courage since that dreadful day, and our thoughts are with them today and always.”

The families of Alice and Elsie had victim impact statements read out in court.

The family of Elsie Dot Stancombe addressed Rudakubana directly in theirs: “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. 

“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. 

“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.

“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 some small measure of justice. 

“Perhaps he will have opportunity to contemplate the fear and terror he inflicted upon those girls and sincerely want the consequences to reflect the irreparable damage he has inflicted.”

The family of Alice De Silva Aguiar said: “Alice was the best baby anyone could have as a first-time parent; slept long nights, peacefully quiet and always smiley. As she grew up, we really took notice of what a wonderful girl she was turning out to be. 

“Alice was always a very kind girl, who valued equality and fairness at the core. A world of possibilities awaited her, a best friend anyone could ask for. We were so lucky and privileged to have her. Every day felt like a gift. Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every way; loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets. She loved Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter. 

“She was a strong and confident pre-teen with a world of dreams and unlimited potential. We just wanted to see her happy, and that was the easiest job in the world.

“Our bond was very strong, the love in the family was pure. Life was a bliss.

“Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls. We’re heartbroken that we can never help Alice fulfil her dreams, we can’t hug her anymore, brush her hair, take her to school through her beloved Botanic Gardens. We can no longer wake up with Alice’s happy smile, being playful or get a morning kiss and hug from her. The simple joys of life can no longer be enjoyed because it feels like there’s no point.

“Living without Alice is not living at all. It’s a state of permanent numbness. We can’t see her pictures or videos; they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.”

In sentencing Rudakubana, Mr Justice Goose said: “There were 26 children at the party, all of them happy and enjoying themselves. He targeted those children for the horrific, extreme violence he was intent upon. It was such extreme violence of the utmost seriousness it was difficult to comprehend. 

“I’m sure Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to kill and would have killed all 26 children.

“Many who have heard the evidence and have seen the CCTV recordings might describe what he did as evil. Who could dispute it? On any view it was at least the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.

“The harm that Axel Rudakubana caused to each family, each child and to the community has been profound and permanent. The families of Bebe, Elsie and Alice will never recover. The lives of the families of the children who he tried to murder will never be the same.

“It’s likely he will never be released and will spend the rest of his life in custody.”

Families of children impacted by Axel Rudakubana say: “nothing will ever reverse the heartbreaking events of that day” – Read here.