In his sentencing remarks, he said: “I am sure Rudakubana had the settled determination to carry out these offences, and had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child – all 26 of them.
“He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody. I consider it likely he will never be released, and he will be in custody for all of his life.”
Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, died, while eight other children and two adults – dance class leader Leanne Lucas and businessman Jonathan Hayes – were seriously wounded.
A fight breaks out between protesters and counter-protesters in Blackpool, following Rudakubana’s attack.Credit: AP
There were reportedly gasps from the public gallery in court as extremely distressing footage of his “sadistic” and “meticulously planned” attack was played on TV monitors.
Since Rudakubana pleaded guilty, a portrait of a deeply troubled young man obsessed with violence has emerged, as has the fact that he was on the radar of the local authorities for years before the attack.
At age 13 and 14, he was referred three times to Prevent, a British counterterrorism program. The first time was for researching school shootings during class in 2019.
Then, in 2021, he was referred for uploading images of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, to his Instagram account and for researching the London Bridge terrorist attack. Those referrals were ultimately dropped because it was determined each time that he did not meet the threshold for intervention.
One of the victims, Bebe King.Credit: AP
But the early suppression of much information also led to accusations of a cover-up, particularly over whether the government knew that Rudakubana had downloaded extremist material at the same time as the public was being told the stabbings were not a terrorist attack.
The focus now is on whether the government and police could have been more open with the public without risking the future criminal trial.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence that he ascribed to any particular political or religious ideology. Content found on his computer and tablets showed a longstanding fascination with violence, killing and genocide.
The court heard that he had gloated about the killings at a police station after his arrest, saying: “It’s a good thing those children are dead . . . so glad . . . so happy.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said following the verdict that the thoughts of the entire nation were with the families and everyone affected by the “unimaginable horrors”.
“No words will ever be able to capture the depth of their pain,” Starmer said.
“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history, we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve.”
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