Who is Axel Rudakubana, the teenager who murdered three Southport girls at Taylor Swift-themed club

Axel Rudakubana was 17 when he murdered three girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport - and he has now pled guilty to the crimes

The teenager who has pleaded guilty to the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport is said to be an introvert with a background in musical theatre.

Axel Rudakubana, who turned 18 in August last year, was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, and had been living in the village of Banks, just outside Southport, at the time of the attack.

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Police have released the mugshot of Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old responsible for the brutal murder of three young girls in Southport last yearPolice have released the mugshot of Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old responsible for the brutal murder of three young girls in Southport last year
Police have released the mugshot of Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old responsible for the brutal murder of three young girls in Southport last year | PA/Merseyside Police

He has an older brother, who was also born in the Welsh capital, according to reports.

What have neighbours said about the teenager?

Helen, a neighbour of the family while they lived there, told the BBC of her shock following the attacks, adding: “They were a lovely young couple. They were little boys, they were boisterous.

“Mum was a stay at home mum, Dad was nice, he went to work every day. They had a small family car, a little hatchback.”

Police officers and vehicles stand guard outside Liverpool Magistrates' Court where Axel Rudakubana, 17, is appearing charged with the murders of three girls and the attempted murder of 10 others. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesPolice officers and vehicles stand guard outside Liverpool Magistrates' Court where Axel Rudakubana, 17, is appearing charged with the murders of three girls and the attempted murder of 10 others. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Police officers and vehicles stand guard outside Liverpool Magistrates' Court where Axel Rudakubana, 17, is appearing charged with the murders of three girls and the attempted murder of 10 others. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Another former neighbour of Rudakubana’s family described Rudakubana as a “quiet” boy who was clingy to his mother as a child.

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A 51-year-old teaching assistant who lives opposite the family’s former home, told the Daily Telegraph: “There were no problems while they were living here – they were a friendly couple with two little boys. I can’t believe what’s happened.”

Rudakubana would accompany his father to karate classes as a child, sensei Chico Mbakwe, an instructor in Cardiff, said.

He said: “He would come and do grading and his father would take him home. I can’t even really remember the boy, but can vaguely remember the dad. The last time I saw the father he was taking part in his grading, he wasn’t my student, he was somebody else’s.

“I told him ‘you can carry on, but even if you have a brainstorm and turn it on now I would still fail you’.

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“He said he wanted his money back. Once you pay your money there’s no return normally but I said: ‘Give him his money back and tell him to get out.’ That’s the last time I saw him.”

How long have the family lived in Southport?

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff after his parents came to the UK from Rwanda, but later moved to Banks in Lancashire.

The family moved to the Southport area around 2013 and lived in a semi-detached property in a quiet cul-de-sac.

At the age of 11, Rudakubana featured in a television advert for BBC Children In Need, after being recruited through a casting agency, it is understood.

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The family lived in a mid-terrace three-bedroom house in a newly-built cul-de-sac of a dozen or so properties, where neighbours described them as “unremarkable”.

Neighbours said the family were “heavily involved with the local church”, and they would often hear singing from their house, the Liverpool Echo reported.

The Times reported Rudakubana has a background in musical theatre.

A friend from his musical theatre group told the newspaper Rudakubana “turned up one day in class, and they said ‘make him welcome, because he’s just moved from quite far away'”.

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He was said to have appeared in a musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.

“I think it was more him trying to branch out and meet kids in the community… he was enjoying it but you know, with musical theatre kids… they’re very extroverted, he wasn’t, he was very quiet,” the friend said.

“He didn’t really talk about himself that much.”

The friend said he “didn’t speak about Rwanda”, but “you could definitely tell with his accent”.

“The brother was a lot more talkative … his dad came across quite educated, and presentable,” the friend added.

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The Daily Mail said his parents are now believed to be in hiding.

Where did Axel Rudakubana go to school?

Rudakubana attended Range High School in Formby, but was excluded in around 2019 after telling Childline that he was being racially bullied and was bringing a knife into school to protect himself, it is understood.

After his exclusion, he returned to the school and it is believed he assaulted someone with a hockey stick.

Rudakubana is then understood to have attended two specialist schools, The Acorns School in Lancashire and Presfield High School & Specialist College in Southport, and teachers were concerned about his behaviour.

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It has now emerged he was referred to the government anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times before the murders, amid concerns over his fixation with violence.

What was found during searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home?

Behind closed doors, the family’s youngest son was making a deadly poison and nursing a fascination with death, it has now emerged.

Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: “It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. He has shown no sign of remorse.”

A search of the family home following Rudakubana’s arrest found a substance later confirmed to be ricin, which the 18-year-old admitted production of on Monday.

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A PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual was also found on a device belonging to the teenager.

Why was the teenager initially named before turning 18?

Explaining the decision not to conceal the identity of Rudakubana, judge Andrew Menary KC told the court the measure was designed to curb the spread of misinformation.

"Whilst I accept it is exceptional given his age, principally because he is 18 in six days' time, I do not make an order under section 45," he explained. "Continuing to prevent the full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation, in a vacuum."

Detailing why he had lifted the restriction, the judge said he had heard arguments from the prosecution and defence, as well as representations from the media about whether the reporting of Rudakubana’s identity should be restricted until his 18th birthday on August 7.

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