Boy, 17, accused of Southport murders named
PA Media
The defendant arrived at court in a prison van with a large police escort
A 17-year-old boy charged with murdering three girls who were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport has been named.
Axel Rudakubana is also charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after eight other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack on Monday.
The boy, who is from the Lancashire village of Banks, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, and also faces a charge of possessing a curved kitchen knife.
Rudakubana was remanded into youth detention accommodation.
The teenager was previously not named due to his age but Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC ruled his identity could be made public.
Rudakubana arrived at court at about 09:00 BST in a prison van with a large police escort.
In front of a packed press gallery, he glanced at reporters before he was asked to sit down before District Judge James Hatton.
Wearing a grey police-issued tracksuit, the defendant pulled his sweatshirt above his nose and lowered his head during the five-minute hearing, in which he did not speak.
Family handouts
Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King died after the attack
None of the families of either the victims or defendant were in court for the brief hearing, which dealt with legal administration.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, died after the stabbings on Hart Street in the Merseyside town, just before midday on Monday.
Eight children and two adults were also seriously injured.
Earlier on Thursday Alder Hey Children’s Hospital confirmed two children who were being treated there had been discharged.
The hospital said it was continuing to treat five other children, and all were now in a stable condition.
A statement read: “We are delighted that two of the children involved in Monday’s awful incident have now been discharged.
“Our heartfelt sympathies remain with all those affected by Monday’s incident.”
Floral tributes continue to be left around Southport
A vigil was held in memory of the victims in Southport on Tuesday night, but was followed by scenes of unrest.
Five men were arrested – with one later charged – after a police van was set alight and bricks were thrown and 53 police officers were injured.
Further disorder broke out in some towns across England, with more than 100 people arrested at a protest in Whitehall on Wednesday night, while there was also unrest in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was due to meet senior policing leaders later to “offer them the government’s full backing”, his spokesman has said.
Merseyside Police announced they were charging the boy at a midnight press conference on Thursday.
Following Monday’s attack, the families of Bebe King and Alice Dasilva Aguiar issued tributes and asked for privacy.
Bebe’s family said “no words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss”.
The family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar said “keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess”.
Additional reporting by Rumeana Jahangir, Tom Mullen, Monica Rimmer & PA Media
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