Axel Rudakubana's 52-year prison sentence has been called 'not serious enough' as angry politicians demand a change in the law to ensure he remains in prison until his death.
The teenager, 18, will spend more than five decades behind bars for the brutal and sadistic murder of three young girls in Southport last summer, and for trying to murder eight others.
He was given the severe sentence – one of the longest sentences in modern English legal history.
But because he was 17 (nine days short of his 18th birthday) when he carried out his campaign of massacre, he was convicted as a juvenile despite the court hearing harrowing details of the horror he caused.
It means he avoided a life sentence, keeping him in prison until his death – although Judge Goose said it was unlikely he would ever be released.
After the conviction at Liverpool Crown Court, Southport Labor MP Patrick Hurley said he had already asked the Attorney General to review the “excessively lenient” term.
“The sentence handed down today is not serious enough, it is not long enough for the crimes committed. “We need a verdict that reflects the seriousness of this crime that has terrorized the victims and their families,” he said.
And Tory leader Kemi Badenoch backed a change in the law that would allow murderers under the age of 18 to receive a life sentence.
In a post on .
The teenager, 18, will spend more than five decades behind bars for the brutal and sadistic murder of three young girls in Southport last summer, and for trying to murder eight others.
Following the conviction at Liverpool Crown Court, Southport Labor MP Patrick Hurley said he had already asked the Attorney General to review the “excessively lenient” term.
The minimum term is one of the highest ever and is considered the longest sentence a murderer of his age can receive.
Mr Justice Goose jailed the 18-year-old for life with a minimum term of 52 years.
Taking into account the 175 days he has already served in custody, Liverpool Crown Court heard this means he will have to serve 51 years and 190 days before the Parole Board can consider him eligible for release.
And at that point he will still have to convince them that he is not a danger to the public.
Hashem Abedi, 23-year-old Manchester Arena bomber, was handed a record-breaking minimum term of 55 years in 2020 for 22 murders and attempted murders. The terrorist orchestrated the 2017 atrocity when he was 20.
Previously, it was believed that the longest minimum term imposed on a terrorist in Britain was 50 years in the case of David Copeland.
The 22-year-old was given six life sentences for attacking Brick Lane, Soho and Brixton in 1999 during a 13-day bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 139.
The attorney general's office said the case was referred based on the unnecessarily lenient sentencing scheme; only one request is needed for the case to be considered.
The lawyers – Attorney General Lord Hermer and Solicitor General Lucy Rigby – have 28 days to decide whether to refer the judgment to the Court of Appeal.
There is a high threshold for a successful referral under the scheme; the punishment should be considered not only lenient but also unlawful, for example if the judge made an error or imposed a punishment outside the usual limits related to the circumstances of an offense.
Even then, the Court of Appeal may decide not to review the case or uphold the existing sentence.
And Tory leader Kemi Badenoch backed a change in the law that would allow murderers under 18 to receive life sentences.
Meanwhile, Reform MP Rupert Lowe and several other MPs called for the return of the death penalty in light of the Southport murders.
He said now is the time for a “national debate on the use of the death penalty in exceptional circumstances.”
“This is an exceptional circumstance,” he added.
Former Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote on X: 'No sentence handed down today will ever be enough.
“Axel Rudakubana is an evil, horrible individual. I am not in favor of the death penalty, but this case makes me think seriously.
“Rotting in prison is too good for him.”
P.M Keir Starmer said: “The thoughts of the entire nation are with the families and everyone affected by the unimaginable horrors that unfolded in Southport. No words will ever capture the depth of their pain.
“I want to say directly to the survivors, families and community of Southport: you are not alone. We stand with you in your grief.
“What happened in Southport was an atrocity and as the judge has stated, this vile perpetrator will likely never be released.
“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country's history, we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to bring about the change they deserve.”
