A British young man has been sentenced to at least 52 years in prison by a UK court on Thursday for the murder of three children at a dance workshop. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attack as one of the most terrifying moments in Britain’s history.
Before the verdict was announced, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana admitted to killing three young girls and stabbing ten others at the event.
The attack took place last July in Southport, a town near Liverpool, on Hart Street at a Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop. The brutal incident sparked widespread unrest across the UK, leading to days of riots.
A few hours after the knife attack, information about the young man who was arrested spread on social media. Far-right influencer Andrew Tate posted a video claiming that an illegal immigrant was responsible for the stabbing. The video was viewed 15 million times.
In relation to the riots, the Muslim Council of Britain stated that false information published by a Russian news outlet led to the spread of rumors online. As a result, far-right extremists targeted Muslims.
In the case filed for the murder of three children and the attempted murder of ten others, prosecutor Diana Hira told Liverpool Crown Court that Rudakubana had been obsessed with violence and genocidal events. Among the victims of his attack, two suffered such severe injuries that describing them was difficult.
In the case’s verdict, Judge Julian Goode stated that Rudakubana must serve at least 52 years in prison. He mentioned that the defendant was not given a life sentence because he was 17 years old at the time of the attack. However, the judge emphasized that there would never be a possibility of his release.
During the announcement of the verdict on Thursday, Rudakubana started shouting, and he was removed from the dock twice. On both occasions, he refused to be present in the courtroom while the sentence was being read.