"Pure evil" Teenager sentenced to 50 years in prison for Southport attack
Many people laid flowers and memorials after the knife attack. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Police officers lined the streets near the court.
Image: dpa
Rioting broke out after the knife attack in the summer of 2024. (archive image)
Image: dpa
Many people laid flowers and memorials after the knife attack. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Police officers lined the streets near the court.
Image: dpa
Rioting broke out after the knife attack in the summer of 2024. (archive image)
Image: dpa
The man who killed three girls during a dance class to the music of Taylor Swift in the summer must serve at least 52 years in prison. Distressing details come to light on the crucial court day.
23.01.2025, 18:24
23.01.2025, 18:27
dpa
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- In the trial for the fatal knife attack in Southport in England, the defendant was sentenced to more than 50 years in prison on Thursday.
- The 18-year-old attempted to commit a mass murder of young girls, said Judge Julian Goose in his sentencing statement.
- Three girls aged six, seven and nine were stabbed to death in the bloody crime near Liverpool at the end of July, while eight other children and two adults suffered injuries.
Even as the horror of the Southport murders were described in detail, the victims' families remained in the courtroom. The prosecution's report and CCTV footage revealed the brutality with which the 18-year-old defendant stormed a Taylor Swift dance class for children last summer, armed with a knife. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday and faces a minimum of 52 years in prison.
"It was an extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime," said Judge Julian Goose. The crime had caused "shock and revulsion" across the nation. "It is highly likely that he will never be released."
The perpetrator had stabbed his young victims dozens of times on July 29, 2024. Three girls aged six, seven and nine died and a further eight children and two adults were injured, some of them seriously. On Monday, the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to all 16 charges, including murder and attempted murder. According to the public prosecutor's office, he had said while in custody: "I'm glad they're dead."
The court hearing with the announcement of the sentence was agonizing for the family members present. The defendant repeatedly disrupted the proceedings with interjections, shouting that he was ill and needed to speak to paramedics. Judge Goose intervened twice and had him taken to an adjoining room each time. According to media reports, the defendant had already been in hospital that morning.
"His only goal was to kill"
Distressing statements were heard from the survivors during the course of the day. "He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey," said a woman who had led the course. Statements from the parents of the girls who were killed were also read out. The perpetrator was cruel and "pure evil". It was the act of a coward.
The children who were killed had suffered injuries that were difficult to explain other than sadism, said public prosecutor Deanna Heer. The perpetrator had stabbed those who tried to escape in the back. "His only goal was to kill, and he targeted the youngest and weakest."
The crime by the then 17-year-old caused great consternation in the UK. Driven by misinformation, there were also right-wing extremist and anti-Muslim riots in the aftermath. It was falsely claimed on social media that the perpetrator was a Muslim migrant. The perpetrator was born in the UK to Rwandan parents and is a British citizen.
Could the crime have been prevented?
Since the guilty plea on Monday, there has been increased discussion about the perpetrator's background and past. In his youth, he had repeatedly come to the attention of the authorities because of his tendency towards violence, but no action was taken. Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to the nation in a speech on Tuesday and placed the perpetrator in the vicinity of terrorism.
The now 18-year-old had also produced a biological poison and was in possession of a terrorist organization manual. Both were found during a search of the apartment he shared with his parents. According to the British news agency PA, documents relating to Nazi Germany and car bombs were also found.
"There is no indication that he subscribed to any particular political or religious ideology," said Heer. The perpetrator had informed himself about other atrocities and there was every indication that he had wanted to re-enact them. "He was not fighting for a cause", she said.
Public inquiry to shed light on the background
As an initial reaction to the guilty plea and the many unanswered questions about the case history, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had already announced a public inquiry on Monday evening. In the UK, these are initiated by the government and carried out by independent bodies.
He would not allow any distraction from a failure of the authorities, "a failure that is obvious in this case", said Starmer and spoke of a new type of threat. These are "loners, outsiders, young men" who are desperate for fame. "They are fixated on this extreme violence, apparently for its own sake," said the prime minister.