Axel Rudakubana changed his pleas from not guilty to guilty on the first day of trial. (AP: Elizabeth Cook)
In short:
British teenager Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9 at a Taylor Swift themed event.
He also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder relating to the attack in Southport, England.
What's next?
Judge Julian Goose said he would sentence Rudakubana on Thursday.
A British teenager who stabbed three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance event has pleaded guilty to murder.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, changed his pleas from not guilty to guilty on what was due to be the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to the murder of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the town of Southport in July.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were killed in the stabbing attack in Southport. (Supplied)
He also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder relating to the attack.
Eight other girls, ranging in age from seven to 13, were wounded, along with instructor Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes, who worked in a business next door and intervened. Fifteen other girls, as young as five, were at the class but uninjured.
Judge Julian Goose said he would sentence Rudakubana on Thursday.
The July 29 stabbings led to a week of rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland after the suspect was falsely identified as an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.
He was born in Wales.
According to a report in the Guardian, Rudakubana was referred three times to Prevent, the UK government’s scheme to stop terrorist violence.
Defence lawyer Stanley Reiz said he would present information to the judge about Rudakubana's mental health that may be relevant to his sentence.
Rudakubana had refused to speak in court and once again refused to identify himself at the start of the proceedings.
Prosecutors haven't said what they believe led to the rampage.
Violent groups, made up mostly of men mobilised by far-right activists on social media, attacked mosques and accommodation housing migrants, tossed beer bottles, rocks and other missiles at police, and set fire to cars in some urban areas.
Protesters stand behind a banner in front of Liverpool Crown Court at the start of the Axel Rudakubana trial, in Liverpool, Britain, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble (Reuters: Phil Noble)
More than 1,200 people were arrested in the wake of the disorder.
Several months after his arrest on the day of the killings, Rudakubana was charged with additional counts for production of a biological toxin, ricin and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism for having the manual in a document on his computer.
Police have said the stabbings haven't been classified as acts of terrorism because the motive isn't yet known.
AP/Reuters
