A teenage boy has been charged with the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class in England.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, who faces three counts of murder plus 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article after the fatal stabbing of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, in Southport July 29, made his first appearance in court Aug. 1.
Authorities had previously kept Rudakubana’s name under wraps due to him being underage—he turns 18 Aug. 7—but the judge did not impose any reporting restrictions on his identity, following press inquiries. Merseyside Police said in a statement Aug. 1 that the teen is from Banks, a village in Lancashire, England.
Rudakubana covered his mouth and nose with his gray prison-issued sweatshirt as Judge Andrew Menary entered the courtroom and did not respond, sitting with his head bowed, when asked to confirm his name, the Liverpool Echo reported.
