British teenager sentenced to 52 years for murdering three girls in dance class crime news
Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of three girls.
A teenager who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, United Kingdom last year, has been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.
Judge Julian Goose said on Thursday that 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana “wanted to commit the attempted mass murder of innocent, happy young girls”.
The judge said he could not impose a life sentence without parole, because Rudakubana was under 18 at the time of the crime.
But the judge said he would have to serve at least 52 years of his sentence before he could be considered for parole, and “it is likely he will never be released”.
Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked young children in the seaside town of Southport last July.
He killed three girls – six-year-old Babe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguirre – and injured eight other children, as well as two adults.
On Monday, Rudakubana confessed to carrying out the murders. He also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder, producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing al-Qaeda training manuals.
The prosecutor said that Rudakubana had no political or religious cause, but that he had a “long-standing passion for violence, murder, genocide”.
Rudakubana was not in court for his sentencing. Earlier in the trial, he was removed for disruptive behavior.
riots
Following the Rudakubana attack, far-right activists seized on social media to falsely report that the attacker was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain.
Social media reports led to weeks of anti-migrant clashes with police and crowds taking to city streets across Britain to attack minorities and Muslims.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Rwandan Christian parents. Investigators have not been able to determine a motive for his crimes.
In the years before the attack, several authorities had been informed about Rudakubana’s violent interests and actions.
The government has ordered a public inquiry, saying there are serious questions to answer.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “After one of the most tragic moments in our country’s history, we are grateful to these innocent young girls and all those affected for bringing about the change they deserve.”
