This is the moment a teenage attacker paced back and forth as he waited for a taxi before a horrific killing spree at a Southport dance class shocked the country.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, – who today admitted murdering little girls Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine – was picked up by a taxi shortly before he launched the attack.
Aged 17, the Cardiff-born teenager brutally killed the children and injured ten others during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at a community center in the Merseyside city on July 29 last year.
The unspeakable incident sparked a slew of nationwide riots – with many targeting migrant hotels and mosques – after misinformation and conspiracy theories spread online falsely claiming he was an immigrant.
Rudakubana, a Welsh national who lives in Banks, Lancashire, was picked up by local driver Gary Poland before the killing spree.
He was filmed walking up and down as he waited outside his home, before making the half-hour journey to the classroom where he destroyed so many innocent lives.
Rudakubana asked the taxi driver to take him to the Hart Space, where he got out without paying and walked up the stairs to the yoga workshop.
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class
This is the moment a teenage attacker paced back and forth as he waited for a taxi before a horrific killing spree at a Southport dance class shocked the country.
He was filmed walking up and down as he waited outside his home, before traveling half an hour to the classroom where he destroyed so many innocent lives
He arrived at 11.45am and within seconds terrified screams could be heard in the street.
The taxi driver was 'very shocked and upset' by what the person he had been driving around with had done.
His wife Lynn said at the time: 'He can't talk about it at the moment. He feels terrible. All he thinks about is what happened to those kids.”
Neighbors told the newspaper that Mr Poland was a friendly man who had offered to give them lifts during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rudakubana today admitted murdering three girls, the attempted murder of eight other children and the attempted murder of Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes.
He also pleaded guilty to having a kitchen knife in a public place, admitted producing a biological poison, ricin, and possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual.
Not guilty pleas had previously been entered on Rudakubana's behalf and a four-week trial was due to begin this week.
The judge, Justice Goose, apologized to families who were not in the courtroom to hear the arguments.
Home Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper subsequently announced an investigation now that an admission of guilt has been made.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was one of three children killed in the knife attack in Southport
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was one of three little girls killed in the attack in Southport
Bebe King, six, was also killed in the knife attack at The Hart Space in Southport
She said “the families and people of Southport need answers about what happened leading up to this attack.”
It emerged that Rudakubana was referred to the government's anti-extremism program Prevent three times due to a fixation on violence.
In her statement, Ms Cooper said these three referrals took place in the 17 months between December 2019 and April 2021, when Rudakubana was aged 13 and 14.
He also had contact with the police, the court, the juvenile justice system, social services and mental health services.
“Yet these agencies failed to recognize the terrible risk and danger to others that he posed,” Ms Cooper said.
'We also need more independent answers about both Prevent and all other agencies that came into contact with this extremely violent teenager, as well as answers about how he became so dangerous.'
Sir Keir Starmer today admitted the state has 'failed in its ultimate duty' to protect the victims of the Southport killer.
The Prime Minister lashed out at the crimes committed by the 'mean and sick' teenager vowed to investigate what happened and said: 'Britain will rightly demand answers. And in that pursuit, we will leave no stone unturned.”
The government announced emergency security for mosques and Sir Keir Starmer promised those involved would 'face the full force of the law'
The Prime Minister lashed out at the crimes committed by the 'vile and sick' teenager and admitted the state had 'failed in its ultimate duty' to protect its victims
The Mail has learned that authorities were aware of Rudakubana's disturbing interest in a school massacre as early as 2019.
He was referred to the government's Prevent deradicalisation program that year for investigating information about the killings of children in school shootings.
It was reported that he was also referred twice in 2021 after viewing material related to the 2017 London terror attack.
But experts believed there was no counter-terrorism risk at the time because he was not believed to be motivated by a terrorist ideology.
Downing Street rejected claims that a “massive cover-up” had taken place ahead of Rudakubana's trial, amid accusations from British reform leader Nigel Farage.
The prime minister's spokesman told reporters it was important not to damage the trial, adding: “It is clear that if the trial had failed and the attacker had walked free, no one would have forgiven.”
In a statement this afternoon, Sir Keir said: 'The news that the vile and sick Southport killer will be convicted is welcome.
Rudakubana's guilty plea is likely to increase pressure on Prevent to explain how he slipped through the cracks, committed a heinous crime and caused a summer of violent, often racist unrest in the UK, fueled by online conspiracy theories.
Floral tributes, balloons and soft toys covered the street near the police cordon
Flowers and written tributes are left alongside balloons and teddy bears at the scene of the stabbings in Hart Street, Southport
“It is also a moment of trauma for the nation, and there are serious questions to be answered about how the state failed in its ultimate duty to protect these young girls.
“Britain will rightly demand answers, and we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”
Conspiracy theories piled up in the aftermath of the attack as the killer's identity was withheld. But because of his age he could not be named; anyone under the age of 18 accused of a crime is automatically granted anonymity.
Rudakubana was 17 years old at the time and could only be named after Judge Menary KC decided it was in the public interest to lift his anonymity order.
The judge condemned the “idiotic riots” in Britain after the attack and said upholding the order risks allowing “others who are up to no good to continue spreading disinformation in a vacuum.”
Rudakubana's guilty plea today is likely to increase pressure on Prevent to explain how he slipped through the cracks, became involved in a horrific crime and caused a summer of violent and often racist unrest in the UK, fueled by online conspiracy theories.
Officials were well aware that Rudakubana could pose a risk and he was referred to the government's Prevent deradicalisation program three times, sources confirmed today.
One of the referrals is believed to be due to concerns about Rudakubana's potential interest in killing children in a school massacre, but it was ruled there was no counter-terrorism risk.
Mourners leave floral tributes at the scene in Hart Street where three children were killed and 10 injured in a 'savage' knife attack
The riots came just an hour after thousands of mourners gathered for a vigil at the Atkinson in Southport.
His behaviour, including his apparent interest in violence, was assessed as potentially worrying by Prevent.
But he was deemed not to be motivated by a terrorist ideology or to pose a terrorist threat and was therefore not considered suitable for the counter-radicalisation plan.
Rudakubana was first referred to Prevent in 2019 when he was 13. Two further referrals occurred in 2021, all when he was a schoolchild living in Lancashire.
Each time he was assessed as not a counter-terrorism risk and therefore not suitable for further investigation by the Channel counter-radicalisation programme, which provides Prevent referrals where there is a significant risk of that person being involved in terrorism.
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