Alice, Bebe, Elsie - the children whose little lives were claimed in the most evil way

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Bebe King, six. Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

These are the children who tragically died following the horrific attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class in The Hart Space, on a small business park in the seaside town of Southport, shortly before midday on July 29.

Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday charged with 16 offences, including three counts of murder. But today, on the first day of the trial, the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to the attack and the killing of the three girls.

The defendant, who was 17 at the time of the attack, admitted their murders as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Summer riots which saw violence across the country were sparked by the stabbings carried out by Rudakubana. Within hours of his attack, false posts spread on the internet which claimed the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker, who had come to the country by boat last year.

Mr Justice Goose said Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a knife.

Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, also admitted production of a biological toxin, ricin, on or before July 29 and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual which he is said to have possessed between August 29 2021 and July 30 2024.

The ricin, a deadly poison, and the document were found during searches of the home in Old School Close which he shared