Trial date set for teen accused of Southport schoolgirl murders
Mark White on Southport suspect appearing in court
GB NEWS
A teenager accused of killing three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, will stand trial on 20 January.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
He also faces a terror charge and another related to the production of a deadly biological toxin.
The three young girls died in a knife attack at The Hart Space venue in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July.
Axel Rudakubana declined to speak when asked to confirm his name, date of birth and home address
PA
Rudakubana appeared via video link at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
He wore a prison issue grey tracksuit for the hearing, and partially covered his face throughout with the tracksuit top.
The teenager declined to speak when asked to confirm his name, date of birth and home address.
He is also charged with the attempted murder of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
He faces a further two counts of attempting to murder dance class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Rudakubana is also charged with possessing a knife.
The 18-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court a fortnight ago after two additional counts were added to the indictment against him.
He is accused of the production of the deadly biological toxin, ricin.
Merseyside police disclosed, after Rudakubana was charged, that a quantity of ricin was found during police searches of his home in the days after his arrest.
The police stressed that no traces of ricin were found at the Hart Space venue after the attack.
He is also charged with possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
The information, contained in a PDF file, related to an Al Qaeda document, an offence under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The deadly knife attack traumatised the Merseyside community and caused widespread anger, sparking serious violent disorder in Southport and multiple other communities in England and in Northern Ireland.
Rudakubana was remanded back into custody and is expected to appear at Liverpool Crown Court again on 12 December for a preparatory hearing.
The trial, which is provisionally scheduled for 20 January, is expected to last between four to six weeks.
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