Axel Rudakubana updates: Southport MP slams ‘unduly lenient’ sentence for crime that has ‘terrorised’ victims & families

Thank you for following our coverage

Axel Rudakubana was today jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years.

The court also heard harrowing details of the attack, along with the traumatic impact the horror has had on the victims and their families.

Sir Keir Starmer releases statement

The PM has described the Southport attack as “one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history”.

He also describes Rudakubana as a "vile offender" who will "likely never be released".

Starmer adds: "The thoughts of the entire nation are with the families and everyone affected by the unimaginable horrors that unfolded in Southport. No words will ever be able to capture the depth of their pain.

“I want to say directly to the survivors, families and community of Southport – you are not alone. We stand with you in your grief.

“What happened in Southport was an atrocity and as the judge has stated, this vile offender will likely never be released.

“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve.”

Rudakubana sentence to be reviewed

The Attorney General's office has confirmed the life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years has been requested for review for being too short.

Just one request is needed for the sentence to be considered under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Attorney General Lord Hermer and Solicitor General Lucy Rigby will have 28 days to decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.

Kemi Badenoch calls for amendment to law

The Tory leader has said there is a "strong case" for an amendment to law so under-18s can be handed whole-life orders.

It comes after Rudakubana avoided such an order because he was 17 at the time of the attack.

In a post on X, she said: "Axel Rudakubana should never be released from prison.

"His age means he has not been given a whole-life sentence, despite the countless lives he destroyed on that dreadful day, and the legacy of mistrust he has sown across the country.

“There is a strong case here for amending the law to give clear judicial discretion to award whole-life sentences to under 18s, which Conservatives will start to explore.

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families. None of us can imagine your pain and we owe you justice.”

Southport MP calls for 'unduly lenient sentence' review

Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, has called on the Attorney General to review Rudakubana's sentence.

On social media, he said: "The sentence handed down today is not severe enough, it is not long enough for the crimes committed, we need a sentence that represents the severity of this crime that has terrorised the victims and their families.

“I have submitted a review to the Attorney General to review the sentence, the undue leniency does not reflect the crimes committed and a review is required to uphold public confidence in our justice system.”

Rudakubana showed no sign of remorse

Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing, has released a statement following the sentencing.

She says the absence of evidence of a motivations means the attack did not meet the legal definition of terrorism.

Ms Evans adds: "“The perpetrator has shown no signs of remorse. He has not explained the motivation of his actions.

"And we have found no evidence to date that explains why he chose to attack those children or that event.

“The absence of evidence of a motivation means that these acts have not met the legal definition of terrorism.

"But, to be clear, that does not make the horrendous acts any less terrifying or terrorising for those impacted and the whole community.

“In the same way, we must now consider how we work together in the future to tackle this challenge of individuals who are fixated with all types of extreme violence, both within and beyond the counter terrorism system.

“The perpetrator had contact with a range of services, including the counter terrorism Prevent system.

“Following these attacks, we have worked rapidly with the Home Office to commission a review of this contact and we welcome the announcement of a public inquiry which will examine all services’ previous contact with him.

“The same determination that we put to the investigation is now being applied to examining how the range of agencies involved did not come together to effectively understand and identify and deal with the risk that he posed.”

Rudakubana has 'long-standing obsession with violence & genocide'

Chief Constable Kennedy says analysis of the killer's internet devices shows he was "obsessed with killing".

She adds: "His only purpose was to kill and he targeted the youngest, most vulnerable in order to spread the greatest level of fear and outrage which he succeeded in doing.

“And although we don’t know why he did it, what we can say is this is a young man with a unhealthy obsession with violence.

"We know that he had researched various documents online that show that obsession.

“But we can say that from all those documents, no one ideology was uncovered and that is why this has not been treated as terrorism.”

'Cowardly and vicious attack'

Speaking after the sentencing, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: "Today Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced for his cowardly and vicious attack on the young girls who had gathered at Hart Space on July 29, 2024, to have some fun in their school holidays.

“They had come together for a Taylor Swift-themed morning to enjoy dancing, singing and making friendship bracelets in honour of their idol.

“Those girls – who range in age from six to 13 – were the polar opposite of a calculating teenager who carried out the harrowing and atrocious, pre-meditated attack.

“The victims were enjoying a day of youthful innocence untainted by twisted and unhealthy fascination with violence that drove Axel Rudakubana to carry out the atrocities he’d planned in the day’s leading up to July 29.

"His terrifying attack resulted in the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice.

“According to prosecution counsel today, two of those children suffered particularly horrific injuries, which can only be only describe as sadistic in nature.

"He also attempted to kill eight other children as they escaped, and two adults and traumatised the remaining children who had managed to escape physically unharmed.

“Since his arrest he has shown no remorse for his actions.”

Victims' families hug each other in court

As Mr Justice Goose handed down the sentence, family members could be heard taking an audible breath.

Relatives held hands and hugged each other but remained silent as the judge announced the remaining sentences.

Rudakubana sentenced to life imprisonment

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been jailed life with a minimum term of 52 years for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe and the attempted murder of eight other children.

'Horrific, extreme violence'

Mr Justice Goose said the 26 kids at the event had been "happy and enjoying themselves".

But Rudakubana targeted them for the "horrific extreme violence he was intent upon".

The judge adds: "At 11.45am he arrived, walked into the building up the stairs where he could hear the sound of happy children, in his mind with the intention to murder as many of them as he physically could.

“He wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent, happy young girls.”

The judge said: “It was such extreme violence… it is difficult to comprehend why it was done.

“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.”

'What he did was evil'

Mr Justice Goose continues: "Many who have heard the evidence summarised by the prosecution in this hearing and have seen CCTV played with a view outside of the building might describe what he did as evil.

“Who would dispute it?

“But, at any view it was at least the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.”

He then begins to outline the horrific injuries suffered by the children. We will not be reporting them.

Judge begins sentencing remarks

Mr Justice Goose is now reading his sentencing remarks to the court.

He says: "It is difficult to comprehend why it was done."

The judge also says he is sure Rudakubana would have killed all 26 people at the Taylor Swift-themed event that day is he could have.

Defence offers mitigation on behalf of Rudakubana

Stan Reiz KC, defending, stands to offer mitigation on behalf of the teenager.

He tells the court: "For offences of such wickedness, the mitigation that I can meaningfully advance on behalf of the defendant is limited.”

Mr Reiz adds: “There is no psychiatric evidence before the court that could suggest that a mental disorder contributed to the defendant’s actions.

“However, he did make a transition from a normal, well-disciplined child to someone who was capable of committing acts of such shocking and senseless violence.”

'Our lives have changed forever'

The mum of two little girls who survived the attack has detailed the traumatic impact on their lives.

A statement read by Ms Heer, prosecuting, said: "This was meant to be a fun summer event and the girls couldn’t wait to take part.

"It was a normal day, like any other, it didn’t cross our minds that we should be worried about anything happening to them.

“They both love Taylor Swift and were looking forward to spending time with their friends and the teachers.

“The whole day feels so surreal, like a blur. It was the worst day of our lives.

"Both our daughters suffered horrendous injuries at the hands of this one person."

The mum says one of her daughters now has a "complete lack of confidence" due to the scars she now has.

Sky News presenter brought to tears

The court has heard harrowing details of Rudakubana's attack.

During live coverage outside Liverpool Crown Court, Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee broke down in tears as she read distressing information about the horror.

'He took everything she could have been'

Jenny Stancombe's victim impact statement continues.

She addresses Judge Justice Goose directly for part of her statement.

The mum says: "To you Justice Goose; He took our daughter, her life, her future and everything she could have been.

“There is no greater loss and no greater pain. His actions have left us with a lifetime of grief and it is only right that he faces the same.

“We hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on the gravity of what he has done, though if we go from his actions and behaviour during this process we have little faith that he will ever feel the remorse he should.

“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 a small measure of justice.

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

I lost my daughter because of 'pure evil'

Jenny Stancombe, the mum of murdered seven-year-old Elsie Dot, says she lost her "best friend".

She adds: "We are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken away from us, because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it.

“We will not let you know anything about her because you don’t deserve to know the extraordinary person she was.

“You know what you have done and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every day.

“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. If we had been there, this would never have happened and the outcome would have been vastly different.

“What you did was not only cruel and pure evil; it was the act of a coward.

“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.

 'I felt completely helpless'

Heidi Little, one of the instructors at the dance event, says she no longer feels safe in her own home.

In her victim impact statement, she tells the court: "I felt isolated from everyone as I felt like I couldn’t leave my home.

"I was in tears constantly and didn’t feel safe in my own home.";

She adds: "The only time I left the house in the coming weeks was to go and see Leanne and the girls at hospital or to attend the funerals of the three girls, which was heartbreaking.

“I replayed the incident over and over in my mind, changing the sequence of events so that myself and the little girl I was with in the toilet, were stabbed and killed.

“I struggled with everyday things, like letting the dogs out, doing any activity that involved me being hunched over, such as hoovering, drying my hair and putting my daughter to bed in her cot, as I envisioned him coming behind me and stabbing me in the back.”

'Living without Alice is not living at all'

The parents of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, one of three girls killed in the horrific attack, are reading a victim impact statement.

They have described the death of their daughter as "the most tragic day of our lives".

The parents say: "Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls.

“We were so lucky and privileged to have her.

“Every day felt like a gift.

“Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every day – she loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets.

“She loved Taylor Swift, Billy Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.”

Their statement continues: "Living without Alice is not living at all.

“It’s a state of permanent numbness.

“We can’t see her picture and videos, they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.

“We have her clothes, her teddies and other belongings. We’ll keep them safe and often hug them when we miss Alice.

“We also have the cat to hug. Alice’s cat. Niko misses her so much. We all do and will miss our perfect baby girl forever.”

'You're a coward'

The 14-year-old survivor describes Rudakubana as "sickening".

She adds: "Physically I’ve healed but my scars remain as a reminder of what you did to me, to us all..

“No sane person could do that. It’s sickening what you did, going in there knowing you’re going into a room full of defenceless children.

“Give me a reason for what you did. Arming yourself with a weapon and stabbing children.

"I hope you spend the rest of your like knowing we think you’re a coward.”

'Day turned into a living nightmare'

A 14-year-old girl who survived the attack is now reading her victim impact statement via video link.

She says: "The beginning of my nightmare started when I saw you. I thought you were playing a joke.

"I saw you in your green hoody and face mask.

"The thing I remember most about you is your eyes. You didn’t look human, you looked possessed.

“I watched you stab someone and then I saw you coming for me. It was like slow motion.

“I was so scared of what you were doing and I was in a blind panic. I ran out onto the landing and there was a group of girls huddled and I began just screaming for the girls to get down the stairs.

“I remember I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get them out of the building and get away from you.

"I knew I was running for my life. I needed to try to get everyone out and to safety – that was my first thought.”

Dad of nine-year-old survivor speaks to court

The dad of a nine-year-old girl, who survived the attack, is reading a victim impact statement.

He says he asked his daughter, who cannot be named, to explain the impact of the attack.

Reading her response, he says: "It has been very hard to deal with what happened to me at Hart Space.

"I struggle with my emotions and I have scars that I know will be with me forever, but I want to look forward.

“When people in school asked me ‘Do you wish you weren’t there that day?’ I said that, in some ways, I wish I wasn’t, but also, if I wasn’t there, someone else would have been stabbed and they could have died, so I’m glad I might have stopped someone else getting hurt’.”

The dad: "These are not the words that any little girl, who just liked yoga and making bracelets, should ever need to say. Her words both horrify us and make us immeasurably proud.

“Our daughter is strong. Our daughter is positive. Our daughter is brave. Our daughter is beautiful.

“Our daughter loves and is loved. Our daughter sees the best in everyone.

“Our daughter is everything that Axel Rudakabana is not.

“She is our hero.”

'I'm surviving for you'

Leanne Lucas continues: "The trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.

“There are times when I will spiral into trauma and the effect this has had on those close to me is unforgivable.

“The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma.

“He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.

“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.

“For Alice, Elsie, Bebe… and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”

'How can I live knowing I survived when children died'

Class instructor Leanne Lucas, who was at the Taylor Swift-themed dance event with the children, is reading a victim impact statement to the court.

She says: "As a 36-year-old woman I cannot go to work.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot walk down the street without holding my breath as I bypass a person and then glance back to see if they’ve attempted to stab me.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot enter a public place without considering how I will get out in the event of an emergency.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.”