Axel Rudakubana (18) has been sentenced to life behind bars, with a minimum term of 52 years, after pleading guilty to murdering three girls.

The twisted teenager, formerly of Old School Close, Banks, pleaded guilty on Monday, which should have been day one of his trial.

Alice da Silva Aguiar (nine), Bebe King (six) and Elsie Dot Stancombe (seven) were murdered in the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed club in Hart Street, Southport.

Rudakubana also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife over the attack on July 29.

But throughout his sentencing, he kept shouting out that  he “felt ill” and “needed to see a paramedic”. He was removed from the dock at Liverpool Crown Court twice, and medics deemed him well.

The judge, Mr Justice Goose, said if Rudakubana had been 18 at the time of the attack he would have received a whole-life term – meaning no possibility of release.

Extreme violence

He told the court: “There were 26 children at the party, all of them happy and enjoying themselves. He targeted those children for the horrific, extreme violence he was intent upon. It was such extreme violence of the utmost seriousness it was difficult to comprehend.

“I’m sure Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to kill and would have killed all 26 children.

“Many who have heard the evidence and have seen the CCTV recordings might describe what he did as evil. Who could dispute it? On any view it was at least the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.

“The harm that Axel Rudakubana caused to each family, each child and to the community has been profound and permanent. The families of Bebe, Elsie and Alice will never recover. The lives of the families of the children who he tried to murder will never be the same.”

The killer even told police after his attack, that he was glad they were dead.

Judge Goose said the killer would be 70 before a parole board would consider releasing him, adding it was “highly likely” he would never be freed.

On the morning of his attack, Rudakubana booked a taxi to the Hart Space where 26 children were attending a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop.

He was carrying a knife bought on Amazon days earlier and after leaving the taxi without paying, he entered the building and carried out the appalling attack.

A thorough investigation at the home of Rudakubana led to the discovery of weapons, the ingredients necessary to make ricin and evidence that he had searched and viewed violent material online from a number of sources as well as downloading an academic study of an Al-Qaeda training manual.

Family statements

The family of Alice De Silva Aguiar said: “Alice was always a very kind girl, who valued equality and fairness at the core. Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every way; loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets. She loved Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.

“Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls. Living without Alice is not living at all. It’s a state of permanent numbness. We can’t see her pictures or videos; they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.”

The family of Elsie Dot Stancombe addressed Rudakubana directly in a statement: “The nature of your actions is beyond contempt. You deliberately chose that place, fully aware that there would be no parents present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves.

“This was not an act of impulse; it was premeditated. You chose that place, that time, and those circumstances, knowing that when we arrived, all we would see was the aftermath of the devastation caused. We were robbed of the opportunity to protect our girls.

“Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honour her memory. We will carry her love, positivity and her legacy forward, no matter how much pain you have caused.

“There is nothing that can undo the damage he has caused, but knowing that he will never be free to cause any harm to vulnerable children again, would give us some small measure of justice.

“Perhaps he will have opportunity to contemplate the fear and terror he inflicted upon those girls and sincerely want the consequences to reflect the irreparable damage he has inflicted.”

A man has been convicted of murdering 60-year-old Brian Shields following an investigation by Met Police detectives.

Marius Ziugzda (48) of no fixed address, was found guilty on Friday, following a two-week week trial at Wood Green Crown Court.

Brian, who lived in a disused pavilion in a park with Ziugzda (pictured), was killed by blunt force trauma to his head and chest on October 20, 2022 – injuries consistent with multiple punches or kicks.

Detective sergeant David Brooks, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Despite Ziugzda’s claims that he and Brian were friends, he subjected him to a sustained and ultimately fatal attack. This verdict is a testament to the hard work of the investigation team, the numerous witnesses who came forward and the efforts of the wider police team.”

On the morning of the death, police were called at 11.14am to Orchard playing fields (formerly Goodmayes Park extension) in Redbridge. This was following reports of an unresponsive man at the location. Despite the efforts of emergency services, Brian died.

At the scene, Ziugzda approached the cordon, despite being told by officers that he could not enter the park. Ziugzda then spoke with officers and said that he had been with Brian the previous evening.

Ziugzda said that he had slept at the location and had woken up there that morning to find Brian dead. He said “I killed him today, I don’t know what….” He then said something incomprehensible before saying, “my friend, in the morning I killed him, now…..”

Officers noted that Ziugzda’s hands appeared to have scuff marks and scratches on them and when later questioned by detectives about his earlier comments, he said that the police officer must have misunderstood what he said.

In interview, Ziugzda said that he and Brian arrived at the park at 8pm on October 19, 2022 and at some point he left Brian to get water from a local shop.

He claimed that upon leaving and returning to Brian he found him uninjured. He confirmed that it was only the two of them at the location and that they sat up for a period of time drinking and smoking before Ziugzda had fallen asleep next to Brian at the pavilion.

To confirm Ziugzda’s claims, detectives viewed 10 hours of CCTV footage from the two nearest shops to the park and found that Ziugzda had visited one to buy water and alcohol but that at the time he had visible red staining on his trousers. This was later forensically examined and identified as the Brian’s blood, contradicting his account of Brian being uninjured before he went to sleep.

Officers also gathered witness statements which revealed that at 11pm, aggressive shouting of two distinct male voices could be heard from the area of the disused pavilion.

Ziugzda has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the Wood Green Crown Court on February 13.

Drylining, insulation and M&E solutions distributor etag has announced Mike Newnham as its new chair, which it says is another key step in its ambitious growth strategy.

Mike joins etag from Saint-Gobain, having been CEO of its Building Distribution Business, and managing director for Jewson. Prior to this, Mike held the role of chief customer officer at Royal Mail for five years, which followed a decade in executive roles at Orange UK including chief financial officer and vice president, during which time he led the B2B division and later the consumer division.

He says major successes of his career include the significant transformation, growth and subsequent sale of Saint-Gobain’s distribution business in 2023, as well as being part of the team that saw the Royal Mail become part of the FTSE100. 

He adds that his experience of successfully leading strategic transformation and growth with three large organisations in different industries lends itself to helping etag achieve its growth ambitions.

Working across the UK’s major cities, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Europe, etag is a complete system solutions provider of drylining, insulation, membranes, M&E support systems and fixings, which prides itself on creating efficiencies in project timelines and processes through its products and services. 

Recently, etag celebrated its 20th anniversary and marked the occasion by announcing the appointment of Emma Hoten-Pool as commercial director, Michael Kelly as sales director for the Irish market, and its strategy to build on its offering for customers, suppliers and the wider industry.

Mike said: “Having the opportunity to join etag was an attractive proposition, with the business having such a strong history and being family-owned with an entrepreneurial culture. This provides a strong platform to begin the next exciting part of its journey.

“We are in a great position to elevate the business’ existing capabilities with new services, to drive significant improvements, building on what we offer to existing customers and suppliers, and striking new relationships with businesses who can also benefit from what we
do.

“My immediate objectives are to find ways to improve our customer experience, putting people first supported by new digital platforms and new technologies, and ensure sustainability runs throughout our operations.

“What’s been clear to me from day one is that etag excels at creating strong relationships with customers and suppliers, and it’s this, along with the team’s expertise and can-do approach, that means the business is in a strong position to grow significantly in the coming years.”