Southport killer Axel Rudakubana pleads GUILTY to murdering girls at Taylor Swift party in dramatic trial twist

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Southport stabbing suspect Axel Rudakubana has pleaded GUILTY to the murder of three girls. Rudakubana, 18, was set to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court today (January 20) charged with the murders of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift themed dance class on July 29 last year.

But, as the four-week trial was about to open, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the three murders. Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of eight other children and to the attempted murder of Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes.

The 18-year-old has also admitted to having a kitchen knife in a public place and the production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file titled Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.

Arriving in the dock in a grey prison issue tracksuit and with a blue medical face mask covering his mouth, Rudakubana refused to stand or speak his name.