Southport killer's sentence will not be reviewed

The Attorney General has rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana's jail sentence.

Rudakubana, 18, is serving a minimum 52-year sentence for the murder of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, in Southport in July 2024.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, Lord Hermer KC said: "After careful consideration of independent legal advice and consultation with leading criminal barristers and the Crown Prosecution Service, I have concluded that this case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal."

He said that no one would want the families to be put through an unnecessary further court process "where there is no realistic legal basis for an increased sentence".

Lord Hermer said Rudakubana's sentence was the "second-longest sentence imposed by the courts in English history".

He added: "Rudakubana will likely never be released and will spend the rest of his life in jail.

"The government have set out the next steps that must now take place to ensure that these awful murders will be a line in the sand.

"My thoughts today are with the friends and families of Bebe, Elsie, and Alice, as well as the other victims – your memories will not be forgotten."

Rudakubana was 17 when he walked into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport and began attacking children and adults.

He was jailed in January at Liverpool Crown Court for three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and other offences including possession of a terrorist training manual.