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Warning: The following contains details of murders. Please proceed with caution.
Last year, a horrific crime unfolded at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, U.K. The 18-year-old perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, has now been sentenced.
On July 29, 2024, the Hart Space dance studio hosted a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and bracelet-making workshop attended by 26 children who were enjoying their summer holidays. Rudakubana, then 17 years old, arrived at the venue shortly before noon, wearing a green hoodie and a surgical mask. He was carrying an 8-inch kitchen knife.
Rudakubana stormed into the studio and started stabbing the children. Instructors Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle sprang into action, shielding the children and rushing them out of the venue as the teen continued his rampage. Lucas dialed 999, and within minutes, police and paramedics arrived. Rudakubana was stopped in the middle of his attack and arrested on the spot. Three children — Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Bebe King, 6 — tragically lost their lives, and 10 others, including eight children as well as Lucas and Liddle, were wounded, with half of them suffering critical injuries.
Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and possession of a knife. He was also separately charged under the Biological Weapons Act of 1974 for possession of the poison ricin and an al-Qaeda training manual, but authorities deemed that the attack wasn’t related to terrorism.
Axel Rudakubana changed his plea
Rudakubana showed signs of violence prior to the attack, bringing weapons to school and even attacking a fellow student. He bounced from school to school and was described by one teacher as having “no sense of the wrongness” of his deeds. By 13 years old, Rudakubana had a criminal record and was placed in a rehabilitation program that focused on offending behavior and knife crime. He completed the program in 2021, but his obsession with violence only deepened, leading to the tragic event that killed three innocent children.
The troubled teen initially pleaded not guilty but reversed his stance just before his trial was set to begin. He ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, along with several counts of attempted murder and several other charges. In court, a video was presented showing footage from a surveillance camera outside the venue, capturing parts of the attack. Rudakubana was seen arriving via a taxi and minutes later, wounded children started running outside the studio, with one getting pulled back by Rudakubana. Prosecutor Deanna Heer said two of the deceased had “horrific injuries which are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature,” with one of them receiving 122 injuries.
Along with King Charles and Queen Camilla, who called the attack “utterly horrific,” Taylor Swift also addressed the murders in 2024 via her Instagram stories.
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and the first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Judge Julian Goose, who presided over the case, stated that because Rudakubana was a minor when he committed his crimes, he couldn’t be given a life sentence. He was sentenced to 52 years in prison but must serve the full sentence before being considered for parole, which the judge said will most likely never happen. Many were outraged over the “lenient” sentence, with many calling for a resentencing. Rudakubana’s case has been forwarded to Law Officers who must decide within 28 days whether it would be passed on to the Court of Appeal for review.