Police officers arriving at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
In a statement released at the conclusion of the Southport murder case, the force’s most senior officer said: “Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced for his cowardly and vicious attack on the young girls who had gathered at Hart Space on 29 July to have some fun in their school holidays.
“They had come together for a Taylor Swift themed morning to enjoy dancing, singing and making friendship bracelets in honour of their idol.
“Those girls, who ranged in age from 6 to 13, were the polar opposite of the calculating teenager who carried out the harrowing and atrocious pre-meditated attack.
“The victims were enjoying a day of youthful innocence, untainted by the twisted and unhealthy fascination with violence that drove Axel Rudakubana to carry out the atrocities he had planned in the days leading up to the event.
“His terrifying attack resulted in the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice – according to prosecution counsel today two of those children suffered particularly horrific injuries which can only be described as sadistic in nature.
“He also attempted to kill eight other children as they tried to escape and two adults, and traumatised the remaining children who managed to escape physically unharmed. Since his arrest he has shown no remorse for his actions.”
Part of Rudakubana’s horror stash (Image: Lakeman Nick James)
Detailing the horror stash of torture, genocide and beheadings found on his electrical devices, she added: “When his home was searched a number of weapons were recovered including the biological toxin ricin.
“On his computer devices a large number of images and documents demonstrated 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.
“Having researched atrocities committed by others the evidence suggests that he set out to emulate them on 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.”
Turning to the grieving families and surviving victims she said: “These events have impacted and will continue to impact the victims and their lives every day forever.
“They won’t be able to just switch off and move on, but I hope that knowing he is now convicted of the most horrendous crime and is now convicted for the most horrendous of crimes and is now in prison will bring some small amount of comfort.”
Rudakubana’s victims Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar (L-R) (Image: Merseyside Police handout)
She thanked the first officers at the scene, paramedics, emergency services, counter-terror experts and the brave public who rallied to help in the aftermath of the attack.
She concluded: “This is the most harrowing, large-scale investigation the force has ever dealt with and I am extremely proud of the way the investigation team has painstakingly examined and assessed everything put before them.
“From what was already a close-knit community we are working together with them and partners to makes sure there is a lasting legacy and the victims of the events on 29 July are never forgotten.
“We welcome the announcement of the Southport Public Inquiry. Merseyside Police will participate fully and approach it with candour to ensure that the horrific incident and the events that led to it are fully understood.
“I would also like to pay tribute to three little girls, Bebe, Elsie and Alice whose beautiful faces and names will be etched in the minds of people across Merseyside and the UK forever.”