Southport killer's sentence will not be reviewed

Axel Rudakubana's sentence will not be reviewed

The Attorney General has rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana's jail sentence.

Rudakubana, 18, is serving a minimum 52-year sentence for the murder of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, in Southport in July 2024.

At his sentencing, the judge said Rudakubana, who was 17 when he carried out the attacks, would have been given a whole life prison order had he been an adult at the time.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, Lord Hermer KC said after "careful consideration" he had "concluded that this case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal".

He added that no one would want the families to be put through an unnecessary further court process "where there is no realistic legal basis for an increased sentence".

Rudakubana's minimum term of 52 years means that he cannot be considered for release until he has served that amount of time in prison.

Lord Hermer said Rudakubana's sentence was the "second-longest sentence imposed by the courts in English history".

He added: "Rudakubana will likely never be released and will spend the rest of his life in jail."

The calls to review Rudakubana's jail term came under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, which allows members of the public to ask for sentences to be looked at by the Attorney General's Office. The scheme only applies to certain offences and an appeal is no guarantee that a sentence will be referred.

Once an appeal is received, it is placed under consideration until a decision is made whether to refer it to the Court of Appeal, which would then have the power to increase a sentence if it ruled necessary.

The Court of Appeal would only increase sentences if it concluded there had been an "error of principle", the circumstances were exceptional and public confidence could be damaged if it did not intervene.

Lord Hermer added: "The government have set out the next steps that must now take place to ensure that these awful murders will be a line in the sand.

"My thoughts today are with the friends and families of Bebe, Elsie, and Alice, as well as the other victims – your memories will not be forgotten."

Rudakubana was 17 when he walked into a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport and began attacking children and adults.

He was jailed in January at Liverpool Crown Court for three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and other offences including possession of a terrorist training manual.