A British teenager admitted guilt on Monday for murdering three young girls in the Southport knife attack, horrifying the nation. Axel Rudakubana, an 18-year-old, initially denied charges but changed his pleas on the trial’s first day at Liverpool Crown Court.
Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan parents and lived near Southport. He confessed to killing 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, who was 6, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who attended a Taylor-themed dance event on July 29th, 2024. The attack was one of the UK’s worst mass stabbings, also injuring 10 others, including eight children.
In addition to three murder charges, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted murder, possessing an al-Qaeda training manual and producing ricin. Judge Julian Goose indicated a life sentence was inevitable.
Rudakubana refused to stand in court and only spoke to plead guilty. Authorities had initially entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf in December due to his silence. False rumors after the Southport knife attack fueled nationwide riots, falsely linking Rudakubana to religious or migrant communities.
The riots included mosque vandalism and attacks on asylum-seeker facilities. Police arrested over 1,500 people with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s far-right groups for inciting violence. Rudakubana’s guilty pleas bring some closure for victims’ families, according to UK Interior Minister Yvette Cooper, but emotions remain raw. She urged calmly, emphasizing the importance of completing the legal process.
