What we know about the Southport stabbings as murder suspect named as Axel Rudakubana
A 17-year-old boy charged with the murder of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has been named after reporting restrictions were lifted.
A 17-year-old boy charged with the murders of three girls killed in the knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport has been named as Axel Rudakubana.
He appeared at a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, August 1, where a judge lifted reporting restrictions. The teenager could previously not be named because of his age, but would have lost anonymity when he turns 18 next Wednesday.
Rudakubana, from Banks, in Lancashire, was remanded into youth detention accommodation after being charged with the murder of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, who were killed on Monday, July 29.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds, with five of them in a critical condition in hospital. On Thursday, two of the children injured in the attack were discharged from hospital, while five more still being treated.
Following the attack, towns and cities across Britain have been hit by what prime minister Keir Starmer has called "far right thuggery".
Rudakubana was charged with the attempted murder of two adults, yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, as well as the attempted murder of the eight children who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The teenager, who was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff, Wales, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article.
At an appearance at Liverpool Magistrates court on Thursday, August 1, the defendant was brought into court at 10.21am, wearing a baggy grey tracksuit and black slippers. He looked at a row of reporters sat behind the glass dock and smiled before he was asked to sit down.
He used his left hand to pull his sweatshirt over his face above his nose and kept his head low during the five-minute hearing, in which he did not speak.
None of the families of either the victims or the defendant were in court for the brief hearing.
The 17-year-old's appearance in court followed two nights of disorder in response to the stabbings: violent unrest in Southport on Tuesday, July 30, involving people linked to the far-right English Defence League, and a demonstration on Whitehall, close to Downing Street, on Wednesday, July 31, in which more than 100 people were arrested.
Since then, more riots have broken out across the country, with dozens arrested over the weekend in towns and cities across Britain, including Sunderland, Bristol and Belfast.
Courts are expected to be empowered to work round the clock to deal with the fallout of the unrest, echoing similar measures employed after riots in 2011.
Prime minister Keir Starmer condemned the rioting, calling the people who took part a "mindless minority," adding he would introduce a new police team to tackle far-right groups that travel around the UK to protest.
"These thugs are mobile, they move from community to community, and we must have a police response that can do the same," he said, describing the riots as "the actions of a tiny, mindless minority" that meant "the community of Southport had to suffer twice".
He also issued a warning to social media companies that allow misinformation to spread on their platforms. Starmer said: "Violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime, it’s happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere."
What we know
Merseyside Police said officers were called to a property on Hart Street in Southport to reports of a stabbing at around 11.50am on Monday, July 29.
One witness told the PA news agency that he called the police to an address behind The Hart Space studios, where the Taylor Swift-themed class for children in school years two to six, aged between six and 11, was taking place.
Armed police detained a man and seized a knife. They subsequently said the crime was not being treated as terror-related.
The suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport.
Along with the three young girls, yoga teacher Leanne Lucas has been identified as one of those injured. Lucas, 35, lives in Southport and runs Enlighten Kids Yoga and put on the Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop at the Hart Space. She is a former primary school teacher, according to The Guardian.
According to the Liverpool Echo, dance teacher Heidi Liddle is also believed to have been injured in the attack. Jonathan Hayes, managing director of Calculus Legal Costs, was also hurt.
The incident has sparked a number of fundraisers. One of the most popular was set up by Taylor Swift fans Cristina Jones and Holly Holdring and has raised over £300,000 so far.
Taylor Swift responded to the incident saying she was "completely in shock”, adding: "I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
The day after the attack, hundreds of people took part in a vigil near the scene, with local businesses closing their doors to encourage people to attend.
However, following the vigil, rioting broke out with bricks, stones and bottles thrown and cars were set alight. Dozens of police officers were injured and a mosque was attacked. The violence was in part incited by baseless rumours spread on social media, misidentifying the suspect and falsely claiming he was a refugee.
Five people have been arrested over the unrest, which saw 53 officers and three police dogs injured.
In a post on social media, the force said shops had been “broken into and looted”, adding that “those responsible will be brought to justice”.
The Southport mosque chairman and imam described being trapped in the building while violence erupted outside as “terrifying” but said the supportive community response had been “humbling” after dozens of local residents turned up outside the mosque with brushes and shovels to help with the clean-up operation on Wednesday morning.
The MP for Southport Patrick Hurley condemned the “beered-up thugs” while Sir Keir Starmer said rioters had “hijacked” a vigil for victims and will “feel the full force of the law".
Elsie’s mother, Jenni Stancombe, wrote on Facebook: “This is the only thing that I will write, but please please stop the violence in Southport tonight. The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don’t need this.”
On Wednesday night, there was further disorder - in central London - as more than 100 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions at a demonstration in the wake of the killings and subsequent riots in Southport.
The people, described as "protesters" by police, threw flares towards the gates of Downing Street and chanted “Rule Britannia”, “save our kids” and “stop the boats”. Some were arrested after breaching a 8.30pm dispersal order.
Later, Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, confirmed that the 17-year-old suspect had been charged: “We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial," she said.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. Our thoughts remain with the families of all of those affected by these harrowing events.”
What we don't know
Full details of what unfolded are not yet known, nor have the identities of all the victims been made public by officials. The nature of the injuries suffered during the attack have not been disclosed and it is not known how serious the injuries of those still in a critical condition are.
Police earlier confirmed that there was no clear indication of any motive.