She says documents and images found on his devices show he had a “long-standing obsession with violence, killing and genocide.
Riots not taken into account – judge Mr Justice Goose says he will not take into account against him the riots following his arrest.
Mr Justice Goose goes on to say that Rudakubana “savagely killed” three of the children over 15 minutes.
Rudakubana targeted girls for horrific and extreme violence, judge says Mr Justice Goose has begun his sentencing remarks by describing the setting to the attack.
You can also watch live at the top of this page – there’s a short delay in the feed from court.
According to the headteacher, Alice da Silva Aguiar was the epitome of happiness.
One of the three girls killed by Axel Rudakubana, Alice da Silva Aguiar, was “joy embodied,” according to Jinnie Payne, the headteacher of the school where she attended.
According to Payne’s statement, Alice’s “passion for dance and artistic flair brought happiness to everyone who knew her.”.
“As joy embodied,” she continues, Alice was a cherished student at Churchtown Primary School.
We are dedicated as a school to supporting you and the community as we all journey through this period of loss and healing. “”.
A Southport MP requests a review of the sentence, saying it is “not severe enough.”.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley has requested that the Attorney General reconsider Axel Rudakubana’s sentence, claiming it is “not severe enough” and “unduly lenient.”.
He stated in a social media post: “We need a sentence that reflects the seriousness of this crime that has terrorized the victims and their families. The sentence handed down today is not severe enough, nor is it long enough for the crimes committed.”.
Since the excessive leniency does not accurately reflect the crimes committed, I have sent a review of the sentence to the Attorney General. This review is necessary to preserve public trust in our legal system. “”.
The police chief claims that Rudakubana was obsessed with murder, violence, and genocide.
“Cowardly” and “vicious” are the terms used by Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy to describe the attack.
“[The girls] had gathered for a Taylor Swift-themed morning to enjoy dancing, singing, and making friendship bracelets in honor of their idol,” she says in a statement issued following the sentence.
“Those girls, whose ages range from six to thirteen, were the complete opposite of the cunning adolescent who executed the horrific, planned, and terrifying attack. “,”.
Kennedy continues, citing the information provided by the prosecution’s attorney today, that two of the deceased children “suffered particularly horrific injuries.”.
Documents and photos discovered on his devices, according to her, demonstrate his “long-standing obsession with violence, killing, and genocide.”.
Since no single ideology was found in all of those documents, we can conclude that this has not been classified as terrorism. “.
Families hugged and held hands while the court read the sentence.
As the sentence was read, some family members could be heard breathing audibly.
While holding hands and giving each other hugs, the relatives said nothing when the judge read out the remaining sentences.
As the hearing came to an end and some of the relatives of the girls Rudakubana had attacked left the courtroom, they stood outside in the hallway and hugged each other while the police officers looked on in silence.
It’s very unlikely that he will ever be free, the judge says.
Rudakubana’s sentences will be served simultaneously, the judge said, because they will run concurrently rather than consecutively.
However, he will remain incarcerated for at least 52 years.
Rudakubana is unlikely to ever be released, he says.
Stay tuned for more details on the sentencing breakdown.
Judge: Riots are not taken into account.
The riots that followed his arrest, according to Mr. Justice Goose, will not be used against him.
“He did not cause that,” he asserts.
At the time of the offenses, the defendant was just nine days away from turning seventeen.
The judge makes it clear that he would have been forced to serve a life sentence without the possibility of release if he had been 18.
But the law doesn’t allow that for people under the age of 18.
As many as possible were to be killed by Rudakubana.
According to Mr. Justice Goose, “Rudakubana had planned to kill as many as he could” for a while.
He claims that Rudakubana wanted to use the knife, which had a very sharp point.
He decided to murder as many people as he could, focusing on very young children, after reading instructions on how to stab people and seeing the advertisement for the children’s party at Southport Heartspace Dance School.
Goose claims that if Rudakubana had not chosen that method of murder, he would have used the ricin he had made sooner rather than later.
In spite of the fact that there was no proof that Axel Rudakubana had any terrorist affiliation, the judge stated that he “must accept” that his guilt was “equivalent to terrorist matters, whatever its purpose.”.
“Over the course of fifteen minutes, Rudakubana brutally murdered three children.”.
There are some upsetting details in this post.
In the next fifteen minutes, Rudakubana “savagely killed” three of the children, according to Mr. Justice Goose.
He claims, “It was such extreme violence of the upmost and exceptionally high seriousness that it is difficult to comprehend why it was done.”.
The judge continues by saying that he is certain Rudakubana had a clear and deliberate intention to commit the crime and that, had he been able to, he would have killed every adult and child who stood in his way.
According to a judge, Rudakubana used horrifying and severe violence against girls.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr. Justice Goose began by outlining the circumstances surrounding the attack. He claims the defendant was aware that an “organized party” would be attended by “very young girls.”.
According to him, “all happy and enjoying themselves” were the 26 children in attendance.
Rudakubana specifically targeted them because of the “horrific” and “extreme” violence he intended to inflict.
He wanted to kill as many of them as he could with his body. “.”.
Sentencing is about to start.
The Axel Rudakubana sentencing process is about to start.
Defense attorney Stan Reiz KC states: “The defendant will be disruptive if he is made to reenter the room, as he does not want to do so. “.
Recall that Rudakubana has entered a guilty plea to 16 charges, including the attempted murder of ten additional individuals and the murder of three girls.
As we hear the main points from our reporters in court, we’ll share them with you. The feed from the court is a little delayed, but you can also watch live at the top of this page.
Note: The court feed will include explicit information.
According to the prosecution, it is impossible to pinpoint the terrorist cause.
Daniel Sandford.
reporting from Crown Court in Liverpool.
In closing remarks, the prosecution’s Deanna Heer KC tells the court that a threat or use must be made to further a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause in order for it to qualify as terrorism.
According to Heer, “the prosecution cannot pinpoint a specific terrorist cause.”.
Instead, it appears from the evidence that the defendant’s goal was to commit mass murder as a means to an end. “..”.
The prosecution’s statements come to an end here.
The survivor’s mother claims that Heidi saved her daughter.
One of the survivors, whose mother hid in the restroom with Heidi Liddle, the teacher who was teaching Leanne Lucas’s class on the day of the attack, is currently testifying in court.
There was anarchy when I got there to pick her up. I left my car and rushed to discover Leanne, one of the event organizers, bleeding and covered in cuts, claiming that “he just came in and stabbed us.”.
All I heard were screams as I got closer to the house where the children fled to safety. My daughter was not present, and it soon became clear that she and the knifeman were still inside the building.
When the emergency services arrived, I hurried inside to be with my daughter, whom I already thought was either dead or gravely injured. I was told by the police not to enter the room.
I turned around with relief. and noticed her standing there alongside Heidi, the other event coordinator.
That day, Heidi saved my girl by going with her to the bathroom when she went there rather than going down the stairs and leaving with the other kids.
Parents of survivors say, “Our girls can’t be alone.”.
Currently, the parents of two sisters who survived the attack are reading a statement to the court. Here are a few of the things the court heard.
We had the worst day of our lives. Both of our daughters suffered terrible injuries; although they are strong, the effects of their injuries are still felt by them.
The girls are unable to be alone since the incident. They stay by their parents’ side. They share their parents’ bed. It is impossible for them to walk to school without experiencing fear.
If it’s dark outside, they refuse to get out of the vehicle. The slightest sound can startle them. Simple tasks like brushing their teeth and taking a shower that were previously effortless are difficult for them.
It feels like having children once more.