Footage of the 18-year-old shows the killer as a schoolboy before he shot to global infamy – as he is expected to be sentenced for his crimes at Liverpool Crown Court today
Axel Rudakubana restrained by classmates during high school altercation
Cold-blooded triple killer Alex Rudakubana had to be physically restrained by classmates during his time in school. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to the murders of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine on Monday.
He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and the attempted murder of Leanne Lucas and John Hayes. The killings took place at The Hart Space in Southport on July 29 last year when he entered the studio during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The horrifically violent crimes shocked the nation and, amid a huge amount of disinformation, sparked anti-migrant riots up and down England and Wales. Before Rudakubana’s rise to infamy, he was a student at Range High School in Formby, where he was involved in a number of incidents.
Footage of one incident appears to show Rudakubana trying to attack another person in a classroom. The video is believed to have been filmed when Rudakubana was in either year 7 or year 8 of the school.
Pupils can be seen holding Rudakubana back as he tries to make his way towards a teacher in the classroom. This came before his permanent exclusion from the school in October 2019.
The ECHO previously revealed how an official document noted that Rudakubana had been referred four times to Prevent – a multi-agency taskforce spearheaded by Counter-Terrorism Policing to stop vulnerable people being drawn into criminal behaviour – but it was confirmed three referrals were actually received by the service.
During the opening day of the trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, January 20, 2025, Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
He has also pleaded guilty to production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, and possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.
On Monday the judge, Justice Goose, said: “Axel Rudakubana you can hear me I know. You have now pleaded guilty to this indictment to each of the charges upon it. The next stage is for sentence. That will take place on Thursday. In the meantime you must keep in touch with your barristers, solicitors and the intermediary in order for you to receive any advice or assistance.
“You will understand it’s inevitable that a life sentence will be imposed upon you. In the meantime, you go with the officers and be produced at that hearing at 11 o’clock on Thursday. Take him down.”
In a statement published by Range High School on Monday, a spokesperson said: “By now you will all be aware of the proceedings that have taken place this morning at Liverpool Crown Court. First and foremost, our thoughts remain with those affected by the horrific incident of July 2024.
“We have been working with police and partners throughout the investigation and in order to ensure that the trial went ahead without prejudice we made no comment. As you will now be aware Axel Rudakubana was a pupil at Range High a number of years ago but was immediately and permanently excluded from our school after we became aware of his behaviour at that time.
“At this stage he ceased to have any formal involvement with our school and that has continued to be the case since. We are aware of reports in the media that Range High may have been a location of interest in the days leading up to those tragic events in Southport. I want to reassure everyone that the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff have always been and always will be our number one priority.
“We will be making no further comment to press and we have asked that the media respect the privacy of our students and staff at this time.”
In the Commons yesterday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Rudakubana admitted to having carried a knife more than 10 times. She told MPs: “Yet the action against him was far too weak. And despite the fact he’d been convicted for violence and was just 17, he was easily able to order a knife on Amazon.
“That’s a total disgrace and it must change. So, we will bring in stronger measures to tackle knife sales online in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.”
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