Southport is in shock as the man accused of stabbing three little girls to death in the town pleads guilty to all charges on the day of the trial.

The man accused of the Southport attack has changed his plea to guilty to all charges.

Axel Rudakubana, aged 18, from Banks in Lancashire, has pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to all 16 counts he was charged with.

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, died after being stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed children's holiday club class at the Hart Space in Southport.

Undated handout file photos issued by Merseyside Police of (left to right) Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. The 18-year-old accused of killing three girls in a knife attack at a Southport dance class is due to go on trial. Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, will stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with the murders of Alice, nine, Bebe, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, who died following the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space shortly before midday on July 29. Issue date: Monday January 20, 2025. | Merseyside Police / PA Wire

Rudakubana was originally due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court. However, as it began on Monday, he changed his pleas - meaning there will be no trial.

There were three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder, and one charge of possession of a knife - all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport, on 29 July 2024.

We've been to the town to get the reaction from locals there.

One local woman told us: "At least he's getting sentenced, and the families haven't got to go through all that. If it was me, I don't think I'd want to."

Another said: "It's not about him. It's about the victims, and it's about the parents of these victims. These victims are no longer with us, and they have to live with that, so I think the fact he's pleaded guilty is good in one sense, but in another sense - what does it actually mean altogether?"

Andrew Brown, founder of the Stand up for Southport | nw

Stand Up for Southport campaigner Andrew Brown told us that the guilty plea was "unexpected".

He said: "I think everyone in Southport was braced for six weeks of what would've been an incredibly gruesome and traumatic trial. That's a long time for all the families to have to sit through day after day, week after week. I'm glad they've been spared from that ordeal."

Ursula Doyle, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor with CPS Mersey-Cheshire, 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."

Rudakubana is also charged with possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism - in the form of an Al Qaeda manual. Both items were discovered following searches of his home by police.

Following his guilty plea, Rudakubana was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, 23 January, for sentencing. The hearing is due to start at 11am.

"It's not about him. It's about the victims" - Southport’s reaction to knife attacks guilty plea