Southport murder suspect appointed by judge to end ‘idiotic riots’ on UK streets | UK | News

A judge has cleared the 17-year-old boy accused of murdering three girls in Southport after ruling that withholding his name from the public could fuel further “idiotic riots”.

Axel Rudakubana made his first court appearance today since being charged with the murder of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at Hart Space children’s centre in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.

At Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, Rudakubana smiled briefly at members of the press as he entered a glass box, before covering his face with the top of his prison-issued grey jumper.

As he will not turn 18 until August 7, Liverpool Recorder Andrew Menary KC was expected to authorise automatic anonymity reporting restrictions to prevent his name being published until next week.

But the judge instead accepted a request from media outlets, including the Daily Express, that because of the exceptional circumstances of the recent riots and protests – and false news reports wrongly suggesting the suspect was an illegal immigrant – it was essential that the true facts be made public.

Judge Menary said: “The idiotic riots currently taking place are partly fuelled by online nonsense that feeds on a vacuum.

“By continuing to prevent full disclosure at this stage, it has the disadvantage of allowing other malicious people to continue to spread false information.

“And there is the risk that when the information is made public in six days, it will provide an additional pretext for a new wave of public unrest.”

The chief judge added: “Because of the defendant’s age – he is currently 17 – the reporting of all proceedings before the youth court was automatically restricted by section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.

“The facts alleged in his case are shocking and could hardly be more serious, involving the murder and serious injury of several victims, most of whom were young children, during an incident in Southport.”

He added that when the defendant turns 18 in less than a week, any reporting restrictions regarding his identity will expire anyway.

The judge continued: “It appears that in these circumstances an order made today would have little practical effect in protecting his welfare.

“The balance clearly tips in favour of the public interest in allowing full coverage of these procedures.

“I understand that the disclosure of the defendant’s identity may cause concern and distress to his family.

“But their identity is usually already known within the local community and a lot of information about them has already been widely published.

“It may be that allowing a full report will help to dispel some of the mystery and misinformation that has been widely circulated online regarding the identity and other details of the defendant.”

Alice, Bebe and Elsie were fatally stabbed on Monday morning when a knife-wielding man entered the dance class on Hart Street in Southport.

Eight other children were stabbed, five of them in critical but stable condition, while two adults were also seriously injured.

The tragic incident sparked a series of protests and anarchy across the country, including a violent riot in Southport on Tuesday night and incidents in London and Manchester on Wednesday night.

More than 100 people were arrested during a protest in Whitehall on Wednesday evening, while unrest also took place in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.

But the incident also sparked a peaceful vigil in Southport this week, with thousands of people coming to pay their respects to the victims.

Rudakubana has been charged with three counts of murder and attempted murder of eight girls from the dance workshop – whose identities cannot be revealed due to their ages.

He is also accused of trying to kill the children’s dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and local businessman Jonathan Hayes, 63, who rushed to the scene to help after hearing screams.

Finally, the teenager is accused of possessing a curved-blade kitchen knife and on Thursday morning he was driven to Liverpool Courthouse in a prison van with a large police escort of vans and cars.

He first appeared at Liverpool Youth Court before District Judge James Hatton who told him: “Because of the nature of the charges I have to send the case to the Crown Court.”

As he entered the glass-enclosed juvenile courtroom, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit, he smiled briefly at the row of reporters seated at the back of courtroom 3.6.

Wearing black slippers, he kept his head down during the brief hearing in which he did not speak and an hour later he appeared in another courtroom in the same building – now sitting at Liverpool Crown Court – before Mr Justice Menary.

He again headed to the dock, but this time he kept his face partially hidden throughout the court proceedings, using the top of his sweater as a mask.

None of the victims’ or defendants’ families were present in court during either hearing.

The judge asked Rudakubana to confirm his identity, but the accused did not respond. Instead, his legal team assured the judge that it was Rudakubana.

Rudakubana was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff in 2006 before moving to the village of Banks in Lancashire in 2013.

During some of the 55-minute hearing before the Crown, which focused mainly on reporting restrictions, Rudaubana occasionally swayed back and forth.

He will appear again at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25. A provisional trial date of six weeks has been set for January 20. He was not asked how he pleaded to any of the charges.

Judge Menary told the defendant: “You are remanded in custody in a youth detention centre until the end of the proceedings.

“This position could change when you come of age in a short time.”

The accused left the court in a police convoy to the jeers of a small crowd that had gathered in the street.

Several people shouted “f****** bastard” as the prison van left the complex, escorted by several police vehicles.

More than 30 police officers lined the kerbs as the convoy set off and others stopped traffic on the main road beyond Liverpool Docks.

The tragic incident sparked a series of protests and anarchy across the country, including a violent riot in Southport on Tuesday night and incidents in London and Manchester on Wednesday night.

Far-right mobs took to the streets of Southport and other major UK cities including London and Manchester this week after fake news reports claimed he had arrived by boat to the UK last year and was on an MI6 watchlist.

More than 100 people were arrested during a protest in Whitehall on Wednesday evening, while unrest also took place in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.

But the tragedy also sparked a peaceful vigil in Southport this week, with thousands of people coming to pay their respects to the victims.

Merseyside Police announced they were charging Rudakubana shortly after midnight on Thursday.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: “While these charges are an important step in this investigation, it remains ongoing and we continue to work with our partners at Lancashire Police and Counter Terrorism North West.”

On Thursday, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool revealed that two young children injured in the stabbing had been discharged from hospital.

A spokesperson said: “We are delighted that two of the children involved in Monday’s terrible incident have now been discharged from hospital.

“We continue to treat five children involved in the devastating incident in Southport on Monday, including one who was recently transferred to us from Aintree University Hospital.

“All children in our care are currently in stable condition. We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by Monday’s incident.”