How Southport killer Axel Rudakubana's vile attack on Taylor Swift dance party unfolded

Axel Rudakubana's murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7 in Southport last summer. Today, he has pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial

A teenager who rushed into a children's Taylor Swift themed dance party and knife three young girls to death, has pleaded guilty to their murders.

Axel Rudakubana who took the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, was born in Cardiff in August 2006. Now 18, he and his family including his mum, dad and older brother moved from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport in 2013.

It was 11 years later, on July 29, 2024 that armed with a knife he entered the dance class at the Hart Space in Southport. Bebe, Elsie and Alice were fatally wounded. Eight other children were injured, as were instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. Within hours police told the media that they had detained a male and seized a knife.

Soon after claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. Some claims included an alleged identity - which was not Rudakubana. One day later on July 30, a peaceful vigil was held outside Southport’s Atkinson arts venue in the evening, where flowers were laid in memory of those who died. But shortly after the vigil, a separate protest began outside the town’s mosque. People were seen throwing items towards the mosque, damaging property and setting police vehicles on fire.

On July 31, demonstrators gathered in Whitehall, London, for an “Enough Is Enough” protest. Flares and cans were thrown at police and more than 100 people were arrested. Disorder also broke out in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Aldershot, Hampshire. The next day police announced that Rudakubana was charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.

Because of his age - 17 at the time - he was not named by police. He appeared in court in Liverpool and Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC ruled he could be named, as he was due to turn 18 within a week. Reporters in the court wrote that Rudakubana initially smiled on entering the courtroom. He then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings before the case was adjourned.

Later that evening, demonstrators gather outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester. In the days after three police officers were taken to hospital after disorder in Sunderland and protests were planned in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast. Disorder also continued for the rest of the week, including outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where masked demonstrators launch lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers.

On August 5, the Government held an emergency Cobra meeting in the wake of the disorder and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice”. That evening, a peaceful vigil was held in Southport, a week on from the killings. Police deal with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.

More than 100 protests were planned for across the country, with counter-demonstrations taking place, but the majority of police forces report very little trouble. And many of those arrested began appearing in front of the courts.

On October 29 last year Merseyside Police announced Rudakubana was set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink the next day charged with production of a biological toxin, Ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

On November 13 Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink, he was again covering his face with his grey sweatshirt and did not speak throughout the hearing. About 20 family members of victims sit in the public gallery. Today, Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for the first day of his trial and pleaded guilty to all 16 charges, including the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

He also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article and to production of a biological toxin, namely ricin. He also pleaded guilty to. possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual". He will be sentenced on Thursday but has already been told he will be facing a life sentence.