WARNING: This story contains details of violence involving young children.
A British judge on Thursday sentenced a teenager who murdered three young girls to at least 52 years in prison, after the killer was removed from the dock for interrupting the execution of the sentence.
On Monday, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murders of 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar in July last year in the northern English town of Southport. nationwide riots.
Two of his victims suffered “terrible injuries that… are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic,” prosecutor Deanna Heer previously told Liverpool Crown Court.
“I'm glad these children are dead, it makes me happy,” Rudakubana told police after the attack, Heer said.
Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted murder, producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing a training manual for al-Qaeda. Eight of the 10 victims who suffered non-fatal injuries were also children.
The prosecutor also said that al-Qaeda's training manual included advice on knife killing, but Rudakuban was not inspired by any political or religious ideology.
The children attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance party, but there was no indication the attacker knew details of what happened at Hart Space in Southport.
Judge Julian Goose said the fact that Rudakubana was nine days shy of her 18th birthday at the time prevented him from imposing a “life-long” sentence under British law, but expressed confidence that he was unlikely to be released.
The killer's sentences for various crimes are similar.
Previous disturbing behavior described
Heer said two of the girls suffered at least 85 and 122 sharp injuries, which were inflicted by Rudakubana with a 20-centimeter knife he bought online under a pseudonym from Amazon.
She described the terrifying scene, and the court showed video footage of screaming young girls running from the building. One bloody girl was seen collapsing outside, causing gasps and sobs in the public gallery.
Photos and documents found on a computer in his home show that he “had a long-standing obsession with violence, killing and genocide,” Heer said.
According to the prosecutor, in 2019, Rudakubana contacted a children's hotline and asked: “What should I do if I want to kill someone?”
He was expelled from school shortly thereafter after admitting to stabbing him 10 times, and was later arrested with a knife in his backpack after returning to school and attacking a student with a hockey stick, Heer added.
Shortly after the sentencing hearing began, Rudakubana was removed from the dock after repeatedly shouting that he was feeling unwell. As he was leaving, someone shouted “coward.”
The UK government wants social media companies to do more to stop the spread of misinformation after it was spread on platforms such as X and sparked violent protests.
Following the killings, riots broke out across the country, leading to dozens of arrests. Disinformation spread online incorrectly indicated that Rudakubana was a refugee and Muslim.
The teenager was born in Cardiff, Wales, and her parents are from Rwanda.