Police and Attorney General issue warning ahead of Southport attack trial

Police and the Attorney General's Office have issued warnings ahead of next week's trial of Axel Rudakubana.

Anyone who shares or posts information online 'which could in any way prejudice the trial' could face up to two years in prison, they warn. Rudakubana, of Banks in West Lancashire, is accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who were fatally stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year.

He is also accused of attempting to murder eight other young girls and two adults, Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, who were also stabbed during the incident. The 18-year-old is also charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, production of a biological toxin, and possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled 'Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual'.

Merseyside Police said: "The trial of Axel Rudakubana will begin on Monday, January 20, relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport, on July 29, 2024. We want to remind everyone that proceedings remain active throughout the entirety of the trial and it is important that there is no sharing or posting of information online which could in any way prejudice the trial.

"Doing so may be in breach of the Contempt of Court act and lead to prosecution by the Attorney General."

The Attorney General's Office warned: "While proceedings are active, the Attorney General is reminding editors, publishers and social media users that fair and accurate reporting of legal proceedings held in public in good faith is permitted.