A British teen who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift–themed dance class will spend decades in prison.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, who pleaded guilty to the July killings in the English town of Southport not long before his scheduled trial was set to take place, will serve at least 52 years in prison.
The teen, who was 17 when he fatally stabbed Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, and injured 10 other people, was not present inside the Liverpool Crown Court Jan. 23 when his sentence was read due to an outburst earlier in the hearing in which he complained about feeling unwell, leading to him being escorted out.
In addition to three charges of murder, Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to 10 charges of attempted murder, one charge of possession of a knife, plus to possession of an Al Qaeda training manual and to producing the deadly poison ricin.
Judge Julian Goose said during the sentencing that Rudakubana did not receive a sentence of life in prison as he was under 18 when the attack took place, although he added, “it is likely he will never be released.”
