Axel Rudakubana will be sentenced today after admitting three charges of murder; 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife in relation to the Southport tragedies
Axel Rudakubana should “rot in jail,” a parent of a Southport stabbing victim said.
The killer will be sentenced today for three charges of murder; 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife. The charges relate to the Southport stabbings, which saw Rudakubana murder Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe.
But the thug cannot get a whole life tariff as he was 13 days from his 18th birthday when he carried out the atrocity in July last year. Now, a dad of one of the little girls who needed surgery after the attack said the rules should change.
The parent, who cannot be identified for legal reasons to protect his child, said: “Axel should rot in jail. He was only a few days off his 18th birthday when he committed these most horrendous offences. Why should he be spared a whole life tariff when he hasn’t spared a thought for any of the victims’ families? Life should mean life.”
Rudakubana attacked several people at the Taylor Swift-themed class in The Hart Space on a small business park in the Merseyside town. The defendant was 17 at the time of the killings, though, and whole life orders can normally only be imposed on criminals aged 21 or over, and are usually only considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.
But the angry dad told The Sun: “Even if he gets 40 years, it’s not enough. He could be out to enjoy the latter part of his life. The three little girls he murdered can’t do that. If that means the law needs changing, so be it. He’s an adult and should be tried like one. His crimes are so horrific, an exception should be made by the judge.”
Rudakubana will be sentenced later today at Liverpool Crown Court, where he entered his guilty pleas on Monday – what was supposed to be the first day of his lengthy trial.
Following the teenager’s guilty plea, Sir Keir Starmer announced a review of terror laws to address “extreme violence carried out by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms”. Crime journalists have criticised “significant overreach” by the Crown Prosecution Service, after police forces involved in the Southport case said they had been advised against sharing more details despite wanting to.
Rudakubana, from Banks, Lancashire, refused to speak at all previous hearings. The Southport father blasted the teen’s lack of remorse, arguing he only changed his plea in the hope of getting a reduction in his sentence. Guidelines suggest his pleas could reduce his sentence by a third.
It emerged the defendant was able to order two survival knives to his home a fortnight before his rampage. Mr Starmer has vowed to oversee a crackdown on online knife sales.
Speaking on Tuesday, the defiant PM said: “It is unacceptable these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it, and we’re going to take action.”