‘Not guilty’ pleas entered for suspect over murders in UK’s Southport
Al Jazeera
Axel Rudakubana, 18, did not speak when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty of killing Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6.
A British teenager had “not guilty” pleas entered on his behalf to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the country and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, did not speak on Wednesday when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport.
“Not guilty” pleas were also entered over charges of 10 attempted murders, producing the deadly poison ricin and the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual. The defendant is due to go on trial in January.
British-born Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was arrested shortly after the attack in the seaside town north of Liverpool. Police have said the incident was not being treated as terrorist related.
