Southport stabbing suspect has been named by police

The 17-year-old is charged with the murders of three young girls during a knife rampage earlier this week.

According to BBC News, Judge Andrew Menary KC took the decision to lift reporting restrictions following submissions from several media outlets at Liverpool Crown Court today.

The 17-year-old charged with three counts of murder is Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, born 7 August 2006.

Rudakubana is charged with murdering nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe in the Merseyside town on Monday.

We can confirm the names of the three girls who were tragically killed in Southport on Monday (29 July).

They are Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine ❤️

Please visit here for more: https://t.co/CZ3hIM7ycn pic.twitter.com/Xz8ea1LglU

— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) July 30, 2024

Eight other children suffered knife wounds during the attack, five of whom remain in a critical condition in hospital.

Two adults were also seriously hurt.

The judge has ordered that the suspect be remanded in youth custody.

A plea and trial preparation hearing has been set for Friday 25 October at Liverpool Crown Court.

That's when we could hear whether Rudakubana intends to plead 'guilty' or 'not guilty' to three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder and a charge of possession of a bladed article.

Large crowds gathered close to Hart Street in Southport on Tuesday night with the intention of holding a peaceful vigil for the victims.

However, it quickly turned into a violent and islamophobic-charged protest sparked by the alleged arrival of members of far-right group English Defence League. 

The clashes resulted in a mosque being badly damaged and more than 50 police officers being injured.

Dozens of local residents turned up outside Southport mosque yesterday morning with brushes and shovels to help with the clean-up operation.