Axel Rudakubana expresses satisfaction at deaths of three girls after murder, court told; he is removed from court for claiming chest pains during sentencing.

During his arrest for fatally stabbing three young girls at a dance class, Axel Rudakubana was reported to have callously said, ‘I’m glad they’re dead,’ the court was informed today.

The 18-year-old took the lives of Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged nine, while also attempting to harm ten others at the Taylor Swift themed event in July.

At the trial in Liverpool Crown Court, the family members of the three deceased girls and the other victims of the attack were present in the public gallery, while Rudakubana sat in the dock dressed in a grey prison tracksuit and a blue facemask.

As the prosecution read their opening note, Rudakubana turned to a dock officer and said: ‘I’m not fine, I feel ill.’ He shouted repeatedly: ‘I need to speak to a paramedic, I feel ill. You’re not giving me any support, judge, I feel ill.’ 

When the judge tried to carry on with the case, Rudakubana exclaimed: ‘Don’t continue. I can’t remain quiet. I haven’t eaten for 10 days. I feel ill. I’m not going to remain quiet.’ 

A family member shouted ‘coward’ as Rudakubana left the dock after Mr Justice Goose ordered officers to take him out of court. 

The prosecution then continued reading their opening, with the judge saying Rudakubana would be returned to court to receive his sentence. 

Deanna Heer KC said the fiend carried out a ‘pre-meditated, planned knife attack upon multiple victims, principally young girls, intending to kill them’ and inflicted injuries that were ‘difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature’. 

She told the court that while Rudakubana was being held in a custody suite after the killings, he told officers: ‘It’s a good thing those children are dead… I’m so glad… so happy.’ 

 Horrific CCTV was played to the court including footage showing one child trying to leave the building but being pulled back in.

Gasps and sobs were heard from the public gallery as the girl was seen to re-emerge and collapse on the floor outside.

One woman in the public gallery put her hand over her face and sobbed, being comforted by those sitting next to her, as the video was played.

Family members were given the option to leave court ahead of CCTV being played, but all remained in the court.

In her opening of the case, Deanna Heer KC told the court: ‘Three children were killed, two of whom suffered particularly horrific injuries which are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature; and the defendant attempted to kill 10 others, inflicting a number of stab wounds upon them, including to their backs as they tried to escape.’

Ms Heer told the court that images and documents were found on Rudakubana’s devices ‘which demonstrated that he had a long standing obsession with violence, killing and genocide’.

‘Amongst those documents was a version of the Al-Qaeda training manual, which provides instruction on how to commit acts of terror, including with a knife and with poisons, including ricin,’ she added.

A number of weapons were also recovered in searches of his home, including the biological toxin ricin which the defendant had produced in his bedroom.

Ms Heer added: ‘Having researched atrocities committed by others, the evidence suggests that he set out to emulate them on the 29 July. There is no evidence that he ascribed to any particular political or religious ideology; he wasn’t fighting for a cause.

‘His only purpose was to kill, and he targeted the youngest, most vulnerable in order to spread the greatest level of fear and outrage, which he succeeded in doing.

‘Whilst under arrest at the police station after the incident, Axel Rudakubana was heard to say, ‘It’s a good thing those children are dead… I’m so glad… so happy’.’

Some family members broke down in tears as the events of July 29 were described to the court. 

Ms Heer has told the court about the moment Rudakabuna entered the dance class at around 11:45am in the morning.

‘Without saying a word, he grabbed the child nearest to him from behind and put his arm around her,’ she said. 

‘This was (one of the children) who was at a table making a bracelet. At first, Leanne Lucas thought he was there to collect her, but he then moved on to a second child and then a third, Alice Da Silva Aguiar. 

‘He moved quickly through the room without saying anything. It was only when he reached her and she felt a knife go into her back, that Leanne Lucas realised he was armed and stabbing the children. 

‘She cannot now recall whether she shouted for everyone to run or not, but they all ran towards the door and out into the corridor.’

The court heard window cleaner Joel Verite gave CPR to Alice da Silva Aguiar after she collapsed in the street moments after she was stabbed by Rudakabuna.

Mr Verite and fellow cleaner Marcin Tyjon were driving along Hart Street when they saw a group of children running across the road and a woman, Leanne Lucas, covered in blood.

Ms Heer said: ‘She was screaming that someone was stabbing the kids. He could see that she was injured and that there was a child lying on the ground further along the road.’

Businessman Jonathan Hayes was stabbed in the leg as he tried to help children who had been attacked in the dance studio.

Mr Hayes was working in an office across the landing from the studio when he heard screaming and saw some children running across the car park.

As he walked onto the landing he saw the body of a child, lying motionless on the floor, now believed to be Bebe King. 

Rudakabuna was crouching over the child and began to confront Mr Hayes who then retreated into his office.

Ms Heer said: ‘The defendant swiped at him with a knife, which he tried to grab. During the confrontation, the defendant stabbed him in the leg and he fell to the ground, shouting for help. 

‘His colleague chased the defendant out of the office and shut the door.’

The court has now heard how the first police officer on the scene arrived to find a ‘large crowd of people in a state of complete panic’.

Sergeant Gillespie entered Hart Space, where the dance studio was located, accompanied by his colleague Sergeant Holden who had his Taser drawn.

Ms Heer said: ‘At the top of the stairs they found the defendant standing over the body of Bebe King who had visible and severe stab injuries. 

‘He was holding a large, bloodied, kitchen knife, which he dropped when told to do so.’

Sergeant Gillespie later found the body of Elsie Dot Stancombe in the studio.

The court was then shown footage of Rudakubana arriving at the dance studio in a taxi just moments before he carried out his murderous rampage.

The teen was heard asking the driver where 34a Hart Street was before he left the vehicle without paying when the driver pointed him in the direction of the building. The driver is heard threatening to call the police.

Rudakubana is then seen trying the door of the Hart Space, knocking on it before entering a stairwell to the side.

Minutes later screams can be heard and CCTV shows children running outside.

Families were in tears as the video was played. Ms Heer paused to allow families a chance to leave court, but all remained seated.

More CCTV was played in court of police arriving at the dance studio where a member of the public told officers: ‘You need a f****** gun mate, he’s got a knife’.

Bodycam footage shows the first officers on the scene enter the building and order Rudakubana to drop the knife.

They tackle him to the floor and arrest him.

A further clip showed police finding one child and dance teacher Heidi Liddle crying in the toilet.

The police officer tells Ms Liddle: ‘Listen, listen, listen, you’re safe.’

A picture of the knife used by Rudakubana was shown to the court.

The three victims suffered horrendous and unsurvivable injuries, the court has been told.

The other eight children were seriously injured and underwent surgery.

Injuries were inflicted ‘with severe force’, Ms Heer said.

Family members left court as the barrister described in graphic and distressing detail the injuries suffered by each child.

Prior to today’s sentencing, it emerged there were up to 15 chances to stop Rudakubana.

The teen, who was not an illegal immigrant but born in Cardiff to Christian parents who came legitimately to Britain from Rwanda, had been caught carrying knives ten times and police had visited his home five times due to reports of disturbing behaviour.

And it emerged this week that Rudakubana had been referred to the government’s counter-extremism programme Prevent three times for an obsessive interest in extreme violence and bloody conflicts.

As a 13-year-old, he had been forced to leave his former school, Range High, in Formby, Merseyside, after a series of incidents including bringing a knife to school, coming into school while excluded and attacking pupils with a hockey stick, and a further incident where he tried to assault teachers.

Prior to attacking the dance class with one of two 20-centimetre kitchen knives he bought on Amazon for £3.40 each, the teenager planned what could have been Britain’s first high school massacre at his old school a week earlier on July 22.

The attack was only thwarted after his father stopped him getting into a taxi outside the family home.

Rudakubana, who was nine days off his 18th birthday when he carried out the devastating attack at the Hart Space community centre, unexpected entered guilty pleas on Monday when a month-long trial was due to begin.

He admitted 16 charges: three counts of murder, 10 attempted murders, possession of a bladed article, production of a biological weapon, and possession of information likely to be useful for terrorism.

He had previously refused to co-operate with the court process, ignoring all instructions put to him including requests to stand or confirm his own name – and had not even engaged with the barrister appointed to defend him.

During what turned out to be a brief hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, the judge Mr Justice Goose warned Rudakubana: ‘You will understand that it’s inevitable the sentence I will impose upon you will be that of a life sentence equivalent.’

Because he was under-18 at the time of the offence, he cannot receive a whole-life sentence but the minimum term is expected to be several decades long. 

The parent of one of the girls who needed surgery after the attack insisted that the rules need to be changed.

‘Axel should rot in jail,’ the parent, who cannot be identified for legal reasons to protect his child, they told the Sun.

‘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.

‘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.

For more on this case, search for ‘The Trial: The Southport Dance class’ wherever you get your podcasts now.