By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2025-01-23 16:40:05 | Updated at 2025-01-23 19:46:36
3 hours ago
A UK teenager with an al-Qaida manual was sentenced Thursday for the ruthlessly murdering three girls and wounding 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last summer — as it emerged he’d bragged about being “so happy” that “those children are dead.”
Axel Rudakubana, who turned 18 days after the slaughter, was sentenced to 13 counts of life in prison — and ordered to serve a minimum of 52 years. He escaped getting the UK equivalent of life without parole because he was still only 17 at the time of the attack.
Still, “it is highly likely that he’ll never be released,” Justice Julian Goose said as he ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
Rudakubana had unexpectedly pleaded guilty Monday to the heartless killings of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9.
He also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder for stabbing eight other children — ranging in age from 7 to 13 — as well as two adults who rushed to help them during a class for young kids to learn yoga and dance to the songs of Taylor Swift.
A total of 15 other girls witnessed the bloodbath in Southport.
“While under arrest at the police station after the incident, Axel Rudakubana was heard saying ‘It’s a good thing those children are dead… I’m so glad… so happy,'” prosecutor Deanna Heer told the court.
Rudakubana also admitted to having an al-Qaida training manual — titled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants” — as well as the deadly poison ricin at his home close to where he struck.
Heer, the prosecutor, told the court that the teen “researched atrocities committed by others” and “set out to emulate them” — but despite having the terror manual, 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,” Heer said.
Rudakubana had delayed his sentencing hearing by screaming “I feel pain” in court — with a relative of one of the dead girls calling him a “coward.”
“I feel ill. 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,” he added while the prosecution opening was ongoing.
He was immediately removed from the courtroom.
Rudakubana’s defense team told the court that the teen “has not eaten for a number of days” and raised “concern about his ability to be in a high-pressure situation.”
However, the judge said he was reassured that Rudakubana was fit to attend and the court, which medics present in court later confirmed.
As Rudakubana left the dock, a family member of one of the deceased children shouted, “Coward.”
He committed the heinous crimes just days before his 18th birthday — ruling out the possibility of him being locked behind bars for the rest of his life.
His chilling murders prompted a week of riots to break out across the UK after erroneous rumors spread that the attacker was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.
However, Rudakubana was born and raised in the UK.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the tragedy a “moment of trauma” for the nation after welcoming Rudakubana’s conviction.
The teen had consistently refused to speak in court including when he was asked to identify himself at the start of the proceedings.
Still, he broke his silence when he was read the 16-count indictment and asked to enter a plea, by replying “guilty” to each charge.
With Post wires
