Why Axel Rudakubana can't receive whole life order when he is sentenced over Southport stabbings

Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty on Monday (January 20) to the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar. The three little girls were killed aged six, seven and nine respectively when they were stabbed to death during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in Southport.

Rudakubana had been due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday accused of their murder, as well as attempting to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and two adults, Leanna Lucas and John Hayes, who were also stabbed during the incident, reports the ECHO.

However, he changed his pleas to these counts and additional offences of possession of a bladed article in a public place, production of ricin and possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism to guilty this morning.

The 18-year-old, of Banks in West Lancashire, will now be sentenced back at the same court on Thursday (January 23). High Court judge Mr Justice Goose told him: "You have now pleaded guilty to this indictment, to each of the charges upon it. The next stage is for sentence. That will take place on Thursday. You will understand that it is inevitable that a life sentence will be imposed upon you."

Rudakubana's crimes are so severe that they may have warranted a whole life order. These were imposed on the likes of Lucy Letby, Wayne Couzens and Mark Fellows in recent years and mean that an offender can never be considered for release on licence.

However, under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, whole life orders can only be given to a defendant who was aged 18 or above at the time of committing their crimes.

Rudakubana was aged 17 on the