Southport knife rampage suspect ‘appeared in a West End musical

The Southport knife suspect was once known to be a ‘quiet’ schoolboy who starred in a West End show before he was accused of killing three little girls on Monday.

Axel Rudakubana, 17, was named and pictured for the first time today, as he appeared in Liverpool Crown Court charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

He is accused of carrying out the attack that killed innocent Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, as they attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town.

During the rampage, the boy, who turns 18 in just six days, is also accused of attempting to kill eight children, along with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes.

Up until now, the teenager’s identity could not be revealed because suspects under 18 receive automatic anonymity in all UK court cases, except for in exceptional circumstances.

But after a successful application to the judge by the Mail, Rudakubana’s name can now be reported.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents in 2006 before his family relocated in 2013 to the quiet village of Banks – a 15 minute drive from Southport.

His father, who moved to the UK for a better life in 2002, reportedly ‘came across quite educated and presentable’ while his brother, who was ‘wilder and more boisterous’, ‘was a lot more talkative’.

Schoolmates described Rudakubana as a ‘very quiet’ boy who ‘turned up in class one day’ with teachers instructing pupils to ‘make him welcome’ as he had moved from ‘quite far away’.

In a bid to ‘branch out and meet kids in the community,’ the boy reached out to the drama group at his school, which later saw him perform on the West End stage.

The friend told The Times: ‘I think it was more him trying to branch out and meet kids in the community … he was enjoying it but you know, with musical theatre kids … they’re very extroverted.   

‘He wasn’t, he was very quiet. He didn’t really talk about himself that much.’ 

The threatre group, which included ‘singing, dancing and musical theatre, on one occasion ended up on a show at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the West End.

On another, they created ‘their own movie’ which was reportedly shown at a Vue cinema where they walked down a red carpet. 

‘He wasn’t a normal theatre kid. He wasn’t pushing for main leads and stuff like that,’ the friends father added. ‘When they went to London, he’d just got involved, he enjoyed it.’

The revelations about the teenager’s early school days come as he appeared in court accused of using a ‘kitchen knife with a curved blade’ during Monday’s rampage.

Rudakubana was driven to Liverpool Magistrates Court this morning in a white van, surrounded by a convoy of police vehicles.

Appearing in the dock he wore a baggy grey tracksuit and black slippers and pulled his sweatshirt over his face above his nose, keeping his head low. 

At one point in the hearing, the teenager, who did not speak once, looked back at the group of around 20 reporters that were sat behind the dock. 

In the afternoon he was taken to Liverpool Crown Court. As he arrived in the same white van, dozens of people stood on the side of the road shouting, with one man having to be held by back police officers.

A provisional trial date set to last six weeks, was scheduled for January 20 next year, also taking place at Liverpool Crown Court.

Rudakubana spent the entire 55 minutes of the hearing covering his whole face, with his grey sweatshirt pulled up to his hairline and at times rocking back and forth, side to side.

He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25 for a plea and trial preparation hearing. 

Until then he will be remanded in youth accommodation detention.

Judge Menary told the defendant, who did not acknowledge the judge and continued to keep his head down: ‘You are remanded to youth detention accommodation until these proceedings have been completed.

‘That position might change when you achieve your majority in a short while.’

Throughout the hearing, the judge explained why he had chosen to release the identity of the suspect.

Judge Menary said he had to balance the risk to the suspect’s family and the risk to him in custody with the public interest accurately reporting his identity.

Far-right mobs took to the streets of Southport and and other major UK cities this week after a fake news website spread misinformation about the identity of the suspect.

Russian state media were among those falsely claiming that the suspect had arrived by boat to the UK last year, sharing claims that he was on an M16 watch list.

It led to violent riots, seeing dozens of police officers injured, wheelie bins set alight and emergency vehicles set on fire. 

Rudakubana’s identity was revealed in a bid to quell tensions that have been building after more riots broke out in London, Manchester Hartlepool, and Aldershot last night.

Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said he had to balance the risk to the defendant’s family and the initial risk while in custody against the public interest in accurately reporting his identity.

He said: ‘By continuing to prevent full reporting at this stage has the disadvantage of allowing others who are up to mischief to continue to spread misinformation in a vacuum and runs the risk that when the information becomes publicly available in six days’ time, that will provide an additional excuse for a fresh round of public disorder.

‘Allowing full reporting will undoubtedly remove some of the misreporting as to the identity of the defendant.’

More than 100 people were arrested in London last night following a far-right protest in Whitehall, with further unrest in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot. 

Chief Constable Mark Webster said events in Hartlepool were ‘mindless thuggery’ as he revealed 150 had attended the riot, with 11 people being arrested at this time.

He said: “There is an opportunity to go out and damage things, and just exhibit a bit of violence. I don’t think there is a principle at stake, this was not a legitimate protest or demonstration.

“I think there is some mindless thuggery and that’s why we are being really proactive to go out and arrest people. There’s no excuse for last night.”

On Tuesday night, an angry mob took to the streets of Southport after a vigil to remember victims of the mass stabbing at the workshop attended by 25 children.

This afternoon, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called a meeting to discuss the ongoing violence. 

He told police chiefs: ‘I wanted to send a message to each of you and through you, your officers, to say that this Government supports the police, supports what you are doing and to be absolutely clear: This is not protest, this is violent disorder and action will be taken.

‘So, this Government will make sure you have got the powers you need and will back you in using those powers.’

Scotland Yard’s Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, National Crime Agency chief Robert Jones and chief constables from Merseyside and West Yorkshire Police all attended the No 10 meeting.

The Prime Minister was also joined by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and policing minister Dame Diana Johnson.

Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: ‘We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

‘It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.’

False claims online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat had sparked riots across Southport on Tuesday night, despite pleas from one of the victim’s mother’s for calm.

Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects to the victims at a vigil in Southport, but violence later erupted outside a mosque in the town with 53 police officers and three police dogs injured. Five men have been arrested following that incident.

After rioting broke out, Elsie’s mother, Jenni Stancombe, wrote on Facebook: ‘This is the only thing that I will write, but please please stop the violence in Southport tonight.

‘The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don’t need this.’

Sir Keir Starmer said rioters had ‘hijacked’ a vigil for victims and will ‘feel the full force of the law’, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the rioting as ‘violent attacks from thugs on the streets’, which she branded ‘appalling’.

The Prime Minister is set to face questions this afternoon after crisis talks with police over the outbreak of rioting following the Southport knife attack. 

On Wednesday, a clean up operation took place outside the mosque, with residents coming together to clear roads where fires had been set and rebuild walls which had been knocked down.

Police called in support from neighbouring forces in case of further disorder, but the seaside town appeared to remain quiet on Wednesday evening, however unrest developed in other areas of the country.

More than 100 people were arrested in London after crowds gathered in Whitehall turned on police, throwing bottles and cans at officers in riot gear.

Some were heard shouting the name of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, while others shouted ‘Rule Britannia’, ‘save our kids’ and ‘stop the boats’ and chanting ‘you’re not English any more’.

A Met Police spokesman said: ‘Over 100 people have been arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions. Some officers suffered minor injuries.’

Responding to last nights riots, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘The scenes of disorder and violence yesterday evening were completely unacceptable.

‘There is no place for criminality on our streets and I fully support the Met Police taking action against those intent on violence, causing disorder and spreading division in our city.’