Not guilty pleas for British teenager over murdering Southport girls in knife attack
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British teen Axel Rudakubana, depicted in this courtroom sketch, did not speak when asked in court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing three girls.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – A British teenager on Dec 18 had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting
Axel Rudakubana, 18, did not speak when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing the girls aged between six and nine who were at a Taylor Swift dance event in Southport.
Not guilty pleas were also entered on his behalf over charges of 10 attempted murders, producing the deadly poison ricin and the possession of an Al-Qaeda training manual, under a procedure known as mute of malice where a defendant refuses to speak.
His trial is due to start on Jan 20 and to last for four weeks. Judge Julian Goose confirmed with Rudakubana’s lawyer Stan Reiz that “there will be no positive case advanced” on Rudakubana’s behalf.
During Dec 18’s short hearing, British-born Rudakubana, who appeared by video link from prison, showed no emotion, staring straight ahead and occasionally rocking from side to side.
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was arrested shortly after the attack on the summer vacation event for children in the quiet seaside town north of Liverpool. The police have said the incident was not being treated as terrorist-related.
Large disturbances broke out in the town after false reports spread on social media that the suspected killer was a radical Islamist migrant.
The disturbances spread across Britain with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the riots on far-right thuggery
More than 1,500 people were arrested, with prosecutors bringing over 1,000 charges as the authorities took tough action to curb the disorder.
A report by the police watchdog, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, said on Dec 18 that officers had displayed immense bravery in the face of extreme violence.
But it added that intelligence failure meant the scale of the disorder was not predicted and forces needed to be better prepared to deal with serious violence. REUTERS
