Footage released of Southport killer's journey to murder
Police have released videos of Axel Rudakubana's movements before the attack last summer
Last updated 27th Jan 2025
Police have released videos of the moments before a teenager carried out a horrendous knife attack in Southport last summer.
Today 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 52 years after murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.
On Monday (20 January) as his trial was due to begin, the defendant, who was 17 at the time of the killings, admitted their murders as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
The dance class had sold out within days of being advertised online:
On the morning of Monday 29 July, Rudakubana left his home in Banks, Lancashire wearing a green hooded sweatshirt with his hood up and face covered with surgical mask, armed with a kitchen knife he had bought online.
Further footage shows him pacing by a bus stop:
A taxi picked him up, and took him to Hart Street, where he then got out without paying:
The driver followed him, and this video shows the moment Rudakubana entered The Hart Space, where the event was taking place:
In the seconds that followed, he carried out the unimaginable attack.
In addition to the murder and attempted murder charges, Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the date of the killings, production of a biological toxin, ricin, on or before July 29, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual, which he is said to have possessed between August 29 2021 and July 30 2024.
The ricin, a deadly poison, and the document were found during searches of the home in Old School Close which he shared with his parents. Below are photos of some of the items seized from the address.
Axel Rudakubana's weapons
