Axel Rudakubana, an 18-year-old man who pleaded guilty to killing three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the U.K. over the summer, has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in jail.
In July, Rudakubana carried out a knife attack at a dance and yoga studio in Southport, England, killing 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and 6-year-old Bebe King, and injuring 10 others. As the BBC reports, Rudakubana was 17 years old at the time of the attack, meaning that he could not be given a life sentence without a minimum term.
Though he originally pleaded not guilty, Rudakubana changed his plea to guilty this week ahead of his planned trial start date. The charges against Rudakubana include three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and two terror-related offenses.
At his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, during which Rudakubana was removed twice for yelling that he felt ill, the court learned that the attack was premeditated and that he told police afterwards he was “glad” the children had died, according to the BBC. The court also heard more about the terror-related charges Rudakubana pleaded guilty to, which included the discovery of ricin — a naturally occurring toxin that can be deadly — at his home as well as possession of an Al-Qaeda training manual. Information about past incidents was also presented, including that Rudakubana — who was born in Cardiff and moved to Southport with his family in 2013 — had previously brought a knife to school, contacted a helpline to ask “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” and had been referred three times to the anti-extremism program Prevent.
Families of the victims and survivors also gave emotional statements in court. The BBC reported that Leanne Lucas, the 36-year-old dance instructor of the class who survived multiple stab wounds, said: “The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma. He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey. To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible. For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”
Following news of the attack in July, Swift issued a statement, writing that she was “completely in shock.”
“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class,” she wrote. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Swift later met with survivors and their families ahead of her August shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.
