THE heartbroken parents of the young girls murdered in Southport have slammed the fifteen “shocking” missed chances to prevent the tragedy.
The parents of three young children, Bebe King aged six, Eslie Dot Stancombe aged seven, and Alice Da silva Aguiar aged nine, were informed recently about the failures of officials to take action against Axel Rudakubana.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, had disrupted court proceedings by shouting at the judge and was eventually given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years. He was removed from the court twice for his behavior.
Originally set to face trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Axel Rudakubana changed his plea on Monday, confessing to all 16 charges which included three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
Read more on the tragedy:
- Axel Rudakubana was sentenced over the Southport massacre
- The monster told police “I’m glad they’re dead” after the horror
- Chilling footage shows the killer arriving at the dance class before the rampage
- A dance teacher made a heartbreaking victim impact statement
- The families of victims told how their lives were ‘shattered in an instant’
- Shocking pictures show a cache of weapons found in Rudakubana’s home
- All the missed chances to stop the killer have been revealed
- A Sky News reporter broke down on air while covering the sentencing
Today, their solicitor Sara Stanger, from law firm Bond Turner, said they welcomed the PM Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement of an inquiry this week.
She said: “Some of the information is totally new.
“Understandably the police and the CPS had to conduct a full and proper inquiry into this so some of the information has only just been released to the families.
“It was shocking for everything to see the number of missed opportunities – I think there’s 15 opportunities to have recognised his obsession with violence and danger.
“I think it is clear that there were multiple missed opportunities.
“I think the Prime Minister has come out and been very vocal about this, announcing a public inquiry very quickly which they are relieved about.
“But yes, the missed opportunities were clear.”
Ms Stanger also urged members of the public accusing the media of a “cover-up” after they abided by family requests to not report graphic details of the injuries some of the victims suffered as mis-guided.
She said: “The families plead for respect and restraint when people are posting online.
“They want to remember their daughters for the lives that they led and not how they died.
“This isn’t a cover-up in the media’s respectful reporting and the families calls for the public to be as sensitive.”
She also said they were “reassured” by the 52 year-sentence handed to Rudakubana, adding: “I think the families are reassured that he is unlikely to ever come out.
“Fifty two years is the longest ever prison sentence given to someone who committed an offence at 17. The public and the families should be reassured that he will probably never come out.”
The Attorney General’s office has confirmed the life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years has been requested for review for being too short.
Just one request is needed for the sentence to be considered under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
Attorney General Lord Hermer and Solicitor General Lucy Rigby will have 28 days to decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.
SUN SAYS: I’ve never sat through such a harrowing court case – Southport killer was coward to the end
By Sarah Ridley
In 12 years as a journalist, I’ve never sat through such a harrowing court hearing.
It was impossible not to be moved to tears hearing the horrific injuries suffered by children as young as six years old, who seconds earlier had been happily making Taylor Swift bracelets and dancing to their favourite songs.
Their short lives were cut short by the senseless killing carried out for no other reason than to fulfil a sick obsession with violence.
The families of Axel Rudakubana’s victims – whose own lives have been torn apart – sat with quiet dignity as he was caged for life.
Liverpool Crown Court heard details of the children’s injuries that were so horrific, their parents asked the media not to repeat them.
As sobbing filled the courtroom, CCTV captured members of the public running over to help – displaying actions that can only be described as heroic.
A coward to the end, Rudakubana robbed the families of the chance to look him in the eye as he refused to enter the dock as his sentence was handed down.
I felt a burning anger at his failure to show one shred of remorse or respect for the families as he repeatedly disrupted proceedings – forcing the judge to remove him from the courtroom twice.
There were no cheers in court as Rudakubana’s sentence was handed down.
Following five hours of heartbreaking witness statements and harrowing details describing the injuries inflicted on their tiny bodies, it felt far from a cause for celebration.
It can only be hoped that the families can find a degree of comfort knowing the killer is likely to die in jail and will never again be free to inflict such horror.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Chillingly, just one week before the attack, Rudakubana is feared to have plotted a similar attack on his old school.
He booked a taxi – the same way he travelled to the Taylor Swift-themed dance class – under a fake name from his home to take him to the Range High School.
It is believed he’d been planning to target pupils on the last day of term as they broke up for the summer holidays.
Footage showed him outside his family home in Banks, Lancashire, moments before setting off.
But he was stopped from making his journey when his dad ran out and intervened.
Lancashire Police first received a report concerning the 18-year-old in 2019 – four years before he killed three little girls at the Hart Space in Southport.
Four calls were from his parents calling from the family home in Banks, Lancashire, who were worried about his behaviour.
One report was received from Childline after Rudakubana made concerning comments to them about plans to take a knife into class, and another was from his school.
All calls to the force were between October 2019 and May 2022.
The most recent was from his school regarding a welfare check as he hadn’t attended since March 2023.
On May 14, 2022, his family called cops because his behaviour “escalated” when he was refused access to a computer.
Just two months earlier, his mum had reported him missing.
Enquiries revealed he’d taken a knife onto a bus and refused to pay his fare.
Cops gave advice to his parents and a child referral order was made to MASH.
His family called cops again on November 30, 2021, when he kicked his dad and damaged his car, but his father didn’t want to prosecute.
Earlier that month, Rudakubana became distressed when a neighbour knocked on his door and a referral was made to MASH.
On October 7, 2019, cops were called when he brought a knife into school.
Two months later he brought in a hockey stick.
A referral was made to MASH and Rudakubana admitted ABH and possession of an offensive weapon.
A Youth Justice referral order was made and he was ordered to complete a course on knife crime.
Why didn’t judge give Southport killer a whole life tariff?
AXEL Rudakubana carried out his twisted rampage when he was 17 years old but despite the horrific nature of his crimes, he was not be given a whole life tariff.
The rare sentencing order can only be handed down to anyone aged 21 or over.
Due to Rudakubana’s age, this means he will not spend the rest of his life in prison.
Whole-life orders can sometimes be considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.
Although Rudakubana is now 18, he does not fall into this category due to the fact he was 17 when he committed his offences.
The killer was instead be given a life sentence but with a minimum tariff. This means he must spend that amount of time behind bars before he is considered for release.
The judge imposed a minimum term of 52 years, which is one of the highest on record and is thought to be the longest punishment handed to a killer of his age.
Taking into account the 175 days he has already served on remand, he will be required to serve 51 years and 190 days before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
Despite the length of the minimum term, it has already been referred to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, 23, was handed a record-breaking 55-year minimum term in 2020 for 22 murders and attempted killings. The terrorist orchestrated the 2017 atrocity when he was 20.
Prior to that, the longest minimum term imposed on a terrorist in Britain is believed to have been 50 years in the case of David Copeland.
The 22-year-old was given six life sentences for targeting Brick Lane, Soho and Brixton in 1999 in a 13-day nail bombing campaign that left three people dead and 139 injured.
