Southport stabbing suspect Axel Rudakubana to appear in court

The teenager accused of the murder of three schoolgirls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party will appear in court tomorrow via video link. Axel Rudakubana, 18, is also charged with 10 counts of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife relating to a mass stabbing at the Hart Space dance studio on Hart Street in Southport on July 29 this year.

Rudakubana, of Banks in Lancashire, was later charged with production of a biology toxin, namely Ricin, contrary to section one 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’, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The teenager is due to enter pleas to all the charges at Liverpool Crown Court tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, November 13.

Merseyside Police confirmed today that the teenager, who is currently in HMP Belmarsh in east London, will appear before Mr Justice Goose tomorrow via video link. He previously appeared via video link to Westminster Magistrates' Court last month where a senior magistrate joined up the charges to be heard collectively at Liverpool Crown Court.

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During the brief proceedings, Rudakubana, wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit and pulling it up over the lower part of his face, did not respond when asked to confirm his name, and a security officer with him told the court he had chosen not to speak. Stan Reiz KC, defending, said: "Mr Rudakubana has remained silent at previous hearings as well. For reasons of his own he has chosen not to answer the question."

Rudakubana was charged at the beginning of August with the murders of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, following the incident in Southport. The two further charges were confirmed by Merseyside Police last month. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference that they related to evidence obtained following searches of his home address.

The force said Counter Terrorism police have not declared the Southport attack a "terrorist incident". Chief Constable Kennedy said: "The matter of which Axel Rudakubana has been charged under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared as a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established."

The ECHO will be in attendance at Liverpool Crown Court to bring you live updates from the plea hearing.