Kay Oliver: Southport stabbing - suspect in England knife attack named, charged

A judge has allowed the identity of Axel Rudakubana to be reported as the 17-year-old was charged with the murder of three young girls in a knife attack. 

A 17-year-old boy has appeared in an English court charged with the murder of three young girls in a knife attack at a dance class that has shocked the United Kingdom and sparked two nights of violent protests. 

Axel Rudakubana first appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court over the incident at a “Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop” summer holiday event for children in the seaside town of Southport. 

He is charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article. 

His case was later heard at Liverpool Crown Court, where he sat in the dock covering his face with a grey sweatshirt and did not speak to confirm his name. 

Judge Andrew Menary did not impose reporting restrictions on Rudakubana’s identity, which had not previously been reported as he is under 18. 

Rudakubana was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing in October. He has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. 

Large disturbances broke out in Southport, a town in England’s northwest, after false information was spread on social media that the suspect in the stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant, with anti-immigrant protesters descending on Southport town from elsewhere. 

Police have said the attack was not terrorism-related and that the suspect was born in the UK, quashing speculation on his origins. 

Tributes to the victims are left by wellwishers in Southport, England. Photo / Getty Images 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with police leaders to offer them the government’s full backing following violent clashes with protesters in Southport and London. 

”As far as the far-right is concerned, this is co-ordinated, this is deliberate,” Starmer told a press conference. “This is not a protest that just got out of hand. It is a group of individuals who are who are absolutely bent on violence. Our country is coming to terms with an act so inexplicably vile. 

“Our thoughts are with the families at the heart of this unimaginable pain. 

“Let me be clear: the tiny, mindless minority in our society who provoked violent disorder on our streets will be made to face the full force of the law.” 

Starmer said the government was establishing a national unit across police forces to tackle violent disorder including shared intelligence, wider deployment of facial recognition technology and preventative action such as orders to restrict the movement of persistent offenders. 

He also warned social media companies: “Violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime and it is happening on your premises and the law must be upheld everywhere.” 

Thousands gathered near Starmer’s 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is now twelve minutes to seven, and I say
good evening to Kay Oliver Are UK and Europe correspondent.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hell okay, hello to you, Andrew.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
So or the Agibaji after what happened of course in
Stockport and the riot says people misinformation caused people to
actually rebel against mosques and police and Downing Street and
or what's the latest to have happened.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Well, the latest is that obviously deeply concerned by all this,
the British Prime Minister Sekir Starmer has held this meeting
of police chiefs in Downing Street and they've come up
with a number of recommendations which basically mean they have
said they're going to clamp down on the people they're
calling a tiny, mindless minority challenge driven by the far

(00:49):
right hatred, and they're now going to set up facial
recognition criminal behavior orders basically in a bid for police
forces across the country to work together to stamp out
what they're calling this mindless violence. And obviously the Southport
stabbings have caused a lot of unrest in this country.

(01:11):
We know that there are a number of protests planned
in the wake of these of these of these obviously
horrible incidents and it would appear that people have taken
to the streets. Sakir Starmer has come up with this
plan to clamp down on what he sees as mindless violence.
But obviously people here are talking about two tier policing.

(01:34):
They've said that there were one hundred arrests in London
following civil disturbance two nights ago, and seven men have
been charged after violent disorder in Hartlepool. And I think
the feeling is Andrew that this is spreading and they've
got to deal with it quickly. Sirkir Starmer has said
he's going to roll up his sleeves and meet the challenge.

(01:55):
It's not a blame game, but they are of the
politics of service, so they want to they want to
stop it fast. It remains to be seen what is
going to happen, but clearly it has been a week
of disturbance here.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Indeed, I think it would be a mistake to actually
call it a minority. There is actually a large number
of people in your country who are very concerned about
the immigration settings. Unfortunately, in this case they got misinformed
about the the from where this bloke came from in
the first place. And what the situation was, and then
they're inflamed the violence. But you're going to the violence

(02:29):
might be self begetting after a while, it won't be
about the original incident in Southport, k It'll be actually
between those people anti immigration and the police forces. So
there's a very tight.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Line to walk, absolutely and they are some MPs here
have said that perhaps a Kere Starmer is not reading
the room correctly. He's not reading the room and we
wait to see what's going to happen. But it is,
as you quite say, a fire in line.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
But here's some good news. Two the injured girls came home.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
They did. Two of the little girls have come home.
We know that they were. All the injured have been
treated at several hospitals across Southport, all the Hey Hospital.
Two have come home and we're just hoping and praying
that the others come home and it's an equally good result.
But it has been a week of sadness for Suthport,

(03:25):
for the whole country. The tributes have grown and grown.
I think one sign of the community in Southport is
that lots of teddy bears had been left at the
tribute and basically the community was so concerned that these
teddy bears were going to get soaked by a downpa
the rain that we've had here that they actually took
them all inside for the night and then brought them

(03:47):
back out again. And this is the most beautiful memory
for these young girls there is the community are pulling
together in Southport and that's the message that everyone wants
to get out. It's all about love and care and
looking after the bereaved families and it's it's getting sidetracked
andrew by what else is going on.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
An interior Tiddybear's picnic. I love the I think I
love the idea of it all. Now, for the first
time in sixty years, family doctors are going to go
on strike.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, people here are already having to queue up for
doctor's appointments and now it's going to get an awful
lot worse because nearly nine thousand GPS in England have
taken part in the British Medical Association's ballot, with ninety
eight point three percent backing mass action, at the center
of which is a row over new contracts, and it

(04:38):
means that GPS could slash the number of appointments in
England by a third just seeing twenty five patients a
day now, this is all part of this this row
over contracts. Patients groups are warning here that this industrial
action could lead to a disaster in cancer care and
warn that A and E waiting tigns the going to

(05:00):
explode be worse than ever up to twelve hours in
some hospitals already. NHS England has urged patients to come
forward for care as usual that the BMA leaders are
saying that the action could last for months until ministers
agree to a new GP contract. So yeah, first time
in sixty years and it's really not going to be

(05:23):
good for anybody who wants urgent or needs to have
a medical issue discussed at the moment.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Well, there's your bettle lines, immigration and the NHS and
that's just the debate that has been and when you've
got a new Prime minister who has to do it.
Ka enjoy your weekend, good luck for anyone you're supporting
in the Olympics, and thank you so much for your
time today.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
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