Axel Rudakubana will serve at least 52 years behind bars for Southport stabbings

From the Liverpool Echo  and the Telegraph 

I didn’t hear/read all of the news broadcasts today as I had to go out for three hours.  But the Judge handled him well and he got the longest sentence that the law allows.  Axel Rudakubana received that mandatory life sentence for 3 counts of murder, 8 counts of attempted murder (child) and 2 counts of attempted murder (adult) As he is too young, in law for a whole life sentence Mr Justice Goose mandated that he will not be eligible to apply for parole until he has served a minimum of 52 years imprisonment. The longest term, short of whole life, ever given is 55 years for Hasheem Abedi, the brother and accomplice of the Manchester Arena bomber, who was aged 20.  The term for Rudakubana had to be reduced (and the judge didn’t want to reduce it by much) to take into account his youth (17 at time of offence) and his guilty plea. The Judge said that he was imposing a sentence within the law that he intended to make sure the defendant died in prison.

The Judge also said that while he has to accept (and he didn’t look convinced, or did I imagine the purse of his lips as he said it?) that the CPS found no evidence of the political, religious, racial or ideological motive that would make the murders an act of terrorism he was going to treat it as seriously as if it was a terror attack.

What he did was harrowing. I’ll let you follow the links and further links at those reports yourselves.

What isn’t yet reported on line from the sentencing remarks is that one of the two little girls who died on the spot (Alice died in hospital hours later) had received over 100 wounds from a ‘blade’ and the defendant appeared to have attempted to behead her; the other received more than 80 similar wounds. Alice recived a ‘chop’ to the head.  These were children aged 6, 7 and 9 years of age. Girl A survived, but it was a close thing.

Rudakubana told the police, “I’m happy, I’m glad they are dead.”

Normally I post a picture of the defendant so readers can see the evil that walks among us.

But these are the babies who died.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice Dasilva Aguiar. That is Alice at her First Communion.