The trial of a teenager accused of murdering three girls in the city of Southport in northern England last July, a bloodbath that shocked the country and sparked days of riots, begins today.
Axel Rudacubana, 18, is accused of killing six-year-old Bibi King, seven-year-old Elsie Dodd Stancomb and nine-year-old Alice DaSilva Aguiar, who were taking part in a children’s dance workshop to Taylor Swift songs in this quiet seaside town.
The same teenager is also accused of 10 attempted murders, production of the toxic substance ricin and possession of an al-Qaeda training manual.
At his trial, which is expected to last between four and six weeks and will be held at Liverpool Crown Court, only the prosecution will present evidence and only prosecution witnesses will testify, as Rubakubana’s lawyer has confirmed he will not make an innocence argument of his client.
The 18-year-old pleaded neither innocent nor guilty
British-born Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the murders, pleaded not guilty or not guilty at the December hearing and so Judge Julian Goose entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Police said the attack was not being treated as terrorism-related.
In Southport there were reports that the attacker was a radicalized Islamic immigrant.
The riots spread across Britain with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers and led to more than 1,500 arrests, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the incidents on “far-right violent elements”.
The attorney general’s office and local police have warned the media and the public not to publish or post anything on social media that could influence the trial, noting that anyone who violates this recommendation will risk prosecution.
