A 17-year-old boy, described as a ‘quiet’ choirboy who rarely left his house or communicated with his family, stands accused of murdering three girls at a dance class in Southport. The court heard that Axel Rudakubana, diagnosed with autism, had shown reluctance to leave his home or engage with his family for some time.
Rudakubana, born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff in 2006, moved to Banks village in Lancashire in 2013. He is accused of killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, as well as attempting to murder eight more children, dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes.
During his court appearance in Liverpool, Rudakubana remained silent. The tragic incident occurred at a Taylor-Swift themed event on Monday. Neighbors from his hometown of Cardiff often heard him singing at his family home in Banks village, as reported by the Mirror. One local described hearing the ‘quiet choirboy’ singing from his terraced home, expressing shock at the situation to the Liverpool Echo.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC highlighted Rudakubana’s medical condition: ‘He has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. We understand he has been unwilling to leave the house and communicate with his family for a period of time.’
Comments of the Judge hearing the murder case
Judge Andrew Menary criticized the ‘idiotic rioting’ that followed the attack and disclosed Rudakubana’s identity to counter misinformation. He stated, ‘The idiotic rioting going on at the moment is, in part, fed by the nonsense online that feeds on the vacuum.’
Judge Menary discussed his ‘exceptional’ decision not to impose reporting restrictions, which would have kept Rudakubana anonymous until his 18th birthday next Wednesday. He weighed the risks to Rudakubana and his family against the public’s need for accurate information.
Granting the Daily Mail’s request to lift restrictions, Judge Menary said: ‘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.’
He added, ‘Allowing full reporting will undoubtedly remove some of the misreporting as to the identity of the defendant.’
Judge Menary noted that Rudakubana faces multiple charges of murder and attempted murder: ‘The alleged offending in his case is shocking and could hardly be more serious, involving as it does the killing and serious wounding of multiple victims, most of whom were young children, in an incident in Southport on Monday 29 July 2024.’
He warned that delaying the reporting of Rudakubana’s name could lead to more public disorder: ‘It seems to be in those circumstances that an order made today would have little practical effect in terms of protecting the welfare of AR, and the balance comes down clearly in favor of the public interest in allowing full reporting of these proceedings.’
He acknowledged the distress this would cause Rudakubana’s family: ‘I understand that revealing the defendant’s identity will cause concern and distress to his family, but their identity is generally already known within the local community and much about them has already been widely published online, in the print media and on television reports.’
The judge noted, ‘Allowing full reporting may remove some of the mystique and misreporting that has taken place typically online as to the identity and other details concerning the defendant. This may be a case where others have taken advantage of the perceived vacuum in information over the past few days.’
