NewsBeat
‘My childhood sweetheart took £42k from me’
HandoutAlice thought she was rekindling a romance with a childhood sweetheart when she started a relationship with a former schoolfriend, Mark, in 2020.
Instead, she became the victim of romance fraud and was conned into handing over £42,000 – only for police to initially dismiss her case as a civil matter.
After breaking up with Mark, she discovered he had been leading a double life with another woman and Alice’s money had probably been used to fund it.
Alice, a solicitor from Shropshire, said the betrayal was something she was “really struggling to come to terms with”.
What makes her case unusual is that she knew her fraudster and they had a full relationship – a lot of romance fraud takes place between people who connect online or in some cases have never even met.
Anna Rowe, who runs a charity helping victims, said a lack of understanding meant “in person” romance fraud was not always taken seriously by police forces.
“If victims are walking into a police station and those police do not understand what romance fraud is, they’re making that journey more traumatic by shaming the victim or making them feel stupid,” she said.
West Mercia Police is now investigating Alice’s case after Action Fraud deemed criminal activity had taken place.
In the last four years, the force, which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, received 111 reports of romance fraud, 23 of which were investigated.
Only four investigations led to charges.
A Facebook message
Alice and Mark, not their real names, went to the same school, had a brief relationship in their 20s and had 50 mutual friends on Facebook.
For years their interactions were limited to exchanging happy birthdays.
But in October 2020, Mark began to message Alice regularly and they reconnected, sharing tastes in music and food as well as stories of the past.
“It was amazing. It was like my youth was back. We had a shared history,” she said.
They met up at a pub they had visited as teenagers.
“We were catching up about people we knew and it was really comfortable,” Alice said.
“I felt at home with him completely and very safe.”
Her old school friends remembered him fondly, too.
So when he first mentioned he had some bad business debts, which he blamed on the pandemic, she had no reason to doubt him.
He showed her threatening text messages he’d received and told Alice it was unsafe to visit his home.
His mental health was also suffering, he added.
“He did make it very clear that he needed help and told me all the figures involved,” she told the BBC.
“I was essentially in a position where I wanted to save him.”
A £20,000 loan
Their relationship progressed and he met her family and friends, spending a lot of his time at her home.
But by April 2021, Alice had lent Mark £20,000.
He promised to pay it back through the sale of his property and, as a solicitor, she had checked the financial details and confirmed in writing the loan between them.
But the sale never happened and the loan grew.
Trips to Wimbledon and Cyprus – funded by Alice – ensued, and Mark was even there for her following the death of her grandfather.
But there was always something else that needed paying for.
“Everything was towards him getting him back on his feet – get his health sorted out, getting him back at work earning again, so he could stabilise his life and we could be happy,” Alice said.
She made bank transfers for new clothes, glasses, a car to get to job interviews, money for psychotherapy, treatments for a skin condition and rent payments on his home.
Alice also became isolated as she defended his behaviour to family and friends.
By October 2023, she realised their relationship – and her own finances – were in trouble.
Mark had borrowed £57,000 and only paid back £14,000.
When she finally broke up with him over the phone, he owed her £42,000.
But what came next shocked her even more.
Distraught, she drove to Mark’s house for the first time.
As she arrived, a woman who she recognised as his supposed ex-partner Julie was stood on the drive.
She was holding Mark’s dog, for whom Alice had paid the vet bills for.
“She said ‘you’ve got to stop coming here’, like I was a stalker – that was the story she had been told,” Alice said.
She told Julie she could prove their relationship but was threatened with the police.
She met Mark one last time in a Sainsbury’s car park where he told her he had cancer and had returned to his ex for comfort.
Alice approached his neighbour who confirmed he and Julie had been living there for years.
“For the whole period that he was with me, promising the world, he was living with somebody else and he was going home to that person every day,” she said.
The BBC has spoken to the couple’s landlady, who confirmed they left the property within days of the confrontation.
More than a year later, she said Mark owes her five months’ rent.
A deliberate scam
Alice went to the police but in December 2023 was told no crime had been committed.
She turned to Love Said, a charity set up to help victims of emotional fraud.
Co-founder Anna is supporting more than 40 victims of romance fraud in the UK, many who have been turned away by the police.
With her support, Alice reported her case to Action Fraud.
“Are you saying that this man deliberately entered into a relationship with you to obtain your money and I said ‘yes, I am’,” she recalled being asked.
On the first anniversary of their break up this year, Alice received a bank transfer from Mark for £120.
She said he has told investigators he will pay the sum monthly, which would clear the debt in 30 years when she is 80.
Det Insp Daniel Fenn, of West Mercia’s economic crime and cyber unit, said romance fraud was “extremely complex”.
“West Mercia Police has highly experienced and dedicated fraud protection officers and staff who have nationally accredited training to identify, respond to and investigate romance fraud,” he added.
“Resources have been increased within our team to assist with tackling and investigating complex fraud.”
The force has two other cases of romance fraud under investigation.
It has now been more than four years since Alice and Mark began dating and she said she felt no closer to closure.
“The money, I can make back,” she said.
“But the betrayal of somebody opening you up into your most vulnerable state, and then betraying you, stealing from you and lying to you, so you were never on the same page, is something I’m really struggling to come to terms with.”
Coercive control
Love Said is working with police forces to help with cases like Alice’s.
Police can pursue criminality under “fraud by misrepresentation; where the relationship itself is a deceit for financial gain, or, coercive control and financial abuse legislation”.
“Hopefully we can start to see a shift as police become more aware and there’s more understanding about how to investigate,” Anna said.
“When you’ve had your innermost feelings expertly manipulated by someone, trusting yourself again is probably the hardest thing to do.
“Victims blame themselves so much – they really don’t need blame from anyone else.”
Politics
Donald Trump birthright citizenship order temporarily halted as judge labels move ‘blatantly unconstitutional’
Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship in the US has been blocked by a judge.
Judge John Coughenour has issued a temporary restraining order to clamp down on Donald Trump’s ban, which would have seen undocumented migrants in the US unable to register their children as American citizens.
Coughenour claimed the order was “blatantly unconstitutional”, and his intervention has seen the move halted for the next 14 days.
“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case whether the question presented was as clear,” the judge said.
Judge John Coughenour has issued a temporary restraining order to clamp down on Donald Trump’s ban
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A rare red weather warnings has been issued by the Met Office for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland as Storm Éowyn is set to bring severe winds to the UK on Friday.
The extreme weather event has seen hundreds of schools close in preparation, and dozens of rail operators halt their services. The storm marks the first time Northern Ireland has seen a red weather warning since the current system was introduced in 2011. It covers the entire country.
Parts of Scotland are also covered by the rare warnings – including Glasgow and Edinburgh – while the rest of the UK is covered by either amber or yellow warnings throughout the rest of the day.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Storm Éowyn is a multi-hazard event, with snow likely for some, rain for many and strong winds for much of the UK. As a result, a number of weather warnings have been issued, with all parts of the UK covered by one warning at some point on Friday.
“While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”
How rare are red weather warnings?
Red weather warnings are the rarest kind, issued when the Met Office believes extreme weather is very likely to occur. The event will usually bring conditions that pose a danger to life, with those in the affected areas advised to take extreme caution.
Between 2011 and 2024, there were red warnings in place on just 19 days. During the same time, 521 days saw amber warnings while 1,922 had yellow. This means a red warning has only come on average one in every 128 days that saw other warnings.
For a red weather warning to be issued, it is measured by Met Office experts againsts its ‘impact matrix.’ This weighs how high the impact from the weather event will be with how likely it is to occur. On the rare occasion that they forecast the highest of both, a red warning is issued.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “We reserve the issuing of Red Warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Éowyn.”
They are not only issued for wind, however, and in the past have been issued rain, snow and once even ‘severe heat.’ This was the case in July 2022 for the first and only time, during a severe heatwave which saw many areas in the UK declare draught and wildfires. On 19 July 2022, the highest-ever temperature in the UK was recored in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, at 40.3 degrees.
How dangerous is a red weather warning?
A red weather warning can cause “very dangerous conditions” for those in affected areas, meaning precautions should be taken. During Storm Éowyn, the Met Office recommends staying inside, not travelling, preparing for power cuts and tying down loose items outside the home if possible.
Mr Gundersen says: “While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”
The Met Office describes high impact from wind as:
- Widespread danger to life from flying debris.
- Widespread structural damage e.g. roofs blown off, mobile homes overturned, power lines brought down.
- Transport routes and travel services affected for a prolonged period. Long travel delays.
- Closure of main bridges, road and rail networks in many areas, and significant disruption to air and ferry transport.
- Widespread and prolonged disruption to power, and/or other utilities and services.
- Danger to life from large waves/beach material being thrown onto coastal route, sea fronts and coastal communities.
For the latest updates and information during Storm Éowyn, follow The Independent’s live coverage.
BBC Verify
BBC / Planet Lab PBCNewly released satellite imagery shows Israel Defense Force construction taking place within the demilitarised buffer zone that separates it from Syria.
The image, obtained exclusively by BBC Verify, shows building work taking place at a location more than 600m inside what is known as the Area of Separation (AoS).
Under the terms of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974, the IDF is prohibited from crossing the so-called Alpha Line on the western edge of the AoS.
When contacted about the images, the IDF told the BBC its “forces are operating in southern Syria, within the buffer zone and at strategic points, to protect the residents of northern Israel.”
The imagery captured on 21 January shows new structures and trucks at the cleared area.
Construction appears to have begun at the beginning of this year, with lower resolution imagery showing gradual development at the site since 1 January.
A new track or road measuring around 1km also appears to join with a pre-existing road that leads into Israeli territory.
Drone photographs shared by a Syrian journalist 20 January shows trucks, excavators and bulldozers at the site.
Jeremy Binnie, Middle East specialist a defence intelligence company Janes told us: “The photo shows what appear to be four prefabricated guard posts that they will presumably crane into position in the corners, so this is somewhere they are planning to maintain at least an interim presence”.
Schools, rail services, sporting fixtures and hospitals are all set to be affected on Friday when Storm Eowyn slams into the UK.
A string of public authorities have issued statements warning the public to only travel unless absolutely necessary, while around 4.5 million people in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland were sent an emergency alert on their mobile phones on Thursday evening.
It was the largest real-life use of the emergency system to date and caused mobile phones to make a loud siren-like sound, even if they were on silent when the alert was issued.
Speaking before it was sent out, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “The emergency alert system will send a message to every compatible mobile phone in the areas at most risk, containing information about the weather warnings and guidance on how to stay safe.”
Schools, colleges and universities
• All schools in Northern Ireland have been advised to close on Friday
• Schools and nurseries across central and southern Scotland have also been urged to shut
• Edinburgh Napier University, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University are among the sites closing their campuses to students and staff on Friday, with no access to any buildings
The rare red weather warnings cover Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. Pic: Met Office
Health services
• NHS Lothian has cancelled all routine, non-urgent planned procedures on Friday and postponed the majority of hospital outpatient appointments to protect patients and staff
• NHS Lanarkshire has also postponed all non-urgent appointments in hospital and community settings
Rail services
• All ScotRail services will be suspended on Friday
• The West Coast Main Line north of Preston and the East Coast Main Line north of Newcastle will also be shut throughout the day, affecting Anglo-Scots services
• Network Rail says “other lines across northern England, Scotland and northern Wales may also be closed at short notice”
• Train services across Northern Ireland have also been suspended
• Transport for Wales has warned services may be subject to last-minute changes and cancellations on Friday
Roads
• Police Scotland has urged drivers not to travel
• RAC Breakdown has also advised motorists in areas covered by red weather warnings not to drive “unless absolutely essential”
• Bus services in Northern Ireland will be suspended on Friday
Airports
• Edinburgh Airport has said operations “will be limited” during Friday’s red weather warning, which is in place from 10am until 5pm. A spokesperson added: “Airlines will make decisions on the operations of their own flights”
• Glasgow Airport has warned passengers to “check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling” on Friday and Saturday
• Belfast International Airport issued similar advice and said it was “anticipating that the weather alert issued will result in flights being impacted”
Ferries
• All CalMac ferry services scheduled for Friday have been cancelled
• Northlink Ferries, serving the Northern Isles, has also amended its services for Friday and is keeping its sailings for Saturday under review, with “a high probability of cancellation” for morning services
Public services, spaces and other sites
• The V&A Dundee will be closed throughout Friday. It plans to reopen on Saturday
• All Scottish courts within or near to the red warning zone will be closed
• The Scottish Parliament will be closed all day on Friday
• Glasgow Life, which runs libraries, museums and cultural venues in the Scottish city, said all its sites would be closed on Friday
• Some children’s playgrounds in London parks, including Hyde Park, will be closed on Friday as a precaution
Sport fixtures
• The Scottish Women’s Premier League match between Celtic and Hearts, scheduled for 7.30pm on Friday, has been postponed
• Sheffield United’s home game against fellow Championship side Hull City at 8pm on Friday is still scheduled to go ahead
Politics
Keir Starmer ‘bending knee’ to Brussels as EU looks to undo Brexit with ‘disgraceful’ Customs Union deal
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “bending the knee” to Brussels as the European Union looks to strike a customs agreement with the UK.
The Prime Minister is under pressure to return Britain to the EU’s orbit after the EU’s new trade chief Maros Sefcovic stresseed such an agreement would represent membership of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM).
PEM operates under common rules which enable parts, ingredients and materials for manufacturing supply chains to be sourced from across dozens of countries in Europe and North Africa tariff-free.
The suggestion, rejected by the previous Tory Governments, was touted during Sefcovic’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Keir Starmer
PA
The Prime Minister is unequioval about his determination to “reset” cross-Channel relations but continues to insist that this will not infringe on the UK’s decision to leave the Single Market or Customs Union.
Responding to Sefcovic’s comments, Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Labour’s programme of bending the knee to the EU is disgraceful.
“These latest reports that the Government might shackle us to the European Union are deeply concerning, and once again make clear that Keir Starmer and his chums are all too happy to put their ideology ahead of our national interest, no matter the cost.
“The Conservatives will always fight for the democratic freedoms the British public voted for, and will not stand idly by in the face of Labour’s great betrayal of our country.”
Starmer’s Government is reportedly holding consultations with business leaders over the benefits of PEM but no final decision has yet been made.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Priti Patel
PA
Brexiteers have long warned that being part of a Customs Union would block the UK from signing independent Free Trade Agreements, including with the United States.
However, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is already publicly calling for an official return to the Customs Union.
Davey, who is expected to call for the UK to rejoin the EU later down the line, argued it was needed to boost Britain’s economy and its ability to deal with the incoming Donald Trump presidency from a position of strength.
Sefcovic’s suggestion, rejected by the previous Tory Governments, was touted during his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Brussels bureaucrat said the idea has not been “precisely formulated” by London yet and the “ball is in the UK’s court”.
Sefcovic also hinted at a full-scale veterinary agreement to reduce frictions on farming and food trade, an updating fisheries deal and mobility plan for under 30s.
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic PASefcovic said it was hoped the scheme would “build bridges for the future for the European Union and the UK”.
“That was the idea,” he said. “[But] we’ve been a little bit surprised what kind of spin it got in the UK.
“It is not freedom of movement,” Sefcovic added. “We have been very clear what we’ve been proposing.”
Despite rejecting previous calls for a return of Freedom of Movement, Starmer could face pressure next month while attending a defence and security focused EU summit.
The Prime Minister is determined to “reset” cross-Channel relations but continues to insist that this will not infringe on the UK’s decision to leave the Single Market or Customs Union.
Keir Starmer
Getty Images
And No10 has since left the door open to accepting Sefcovic’s PEM offer.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The arrangement that’s been discussed is not a customs union.
“Our red line has always been that we will never join a single market, freedom of movement, but we’re just not going to get ahead of those discussions.”
However, MPs have already been exerting pressure on Starmer over under 30s being engaged in a free movement arrangement.
A 10-minute rule bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat MP James McCleary, will receive a second reading on July 25.
NewsBeat
‘We hope it haunts you every day’: Southport families speak out at Axel Rudakubana’s sentencing
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Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for 52 years after brutally murdering three young girls in a frenzied knife attack last year.
The “sadistic” 18-year-old, who had an obsession with violence, genocide and massacres, was given the life sentence at a packed out courtroom at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.
Throughout the sentencing, Rudakubana repeatedly interrupted the judge by claiming he needed a paramedic, as more than 30 members of his victims’ families sat in the public gallery.
Despite this, the court heard the heart-rending victim impact statements of parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, who died in the onslaught.
The court also heard from a number of survivors, including the Taylor Swift-themed dance class instructor Leanne Lucas, 36, who said she has suffered scars she “cannot move on from”.
Here, The Independent has put together some of the heartbreaking victim impact statements read out at the court.
Family of Elsie Dot Stancombe
Elsie’s mother, Jenny Stancombe, described the attack as “the act of a coward” and said Rudakubana was “cruel and pure evil”.
Ms Stancombe said the attack had “stolen” her daughter from her but that it would “not take away our determination to honour her memory”.
Her statement continued: “We are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken away from us, because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it.
“We will not let you know anything about her because you don’t deserve to know the extraordinary person she was.
“You know what you have done and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every day.”
Family of Alice da Silva Aguiar
In a separate statement read out in court afterwards, Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar said their daughter Alice’s death had “shattered our souls”.
They said: “In a matter of minutes our worlds were shattered and turned upside down by the devastating attack on our Alice.
“A pin drop that changed our lives forever. We kept our hopes up every second during Alice’s 14-hour fight. But, once she had lost her fight, we lost our lives.”
Mr and Mrs Aguiar added: “Living without Alice is not living at all. It’s a state of permanent numbness. We can’t see her picture and videos, they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.
“We have her clothes, her teddies and other belongings. We’ll keep them safe and often hug them when we miss Alice.”
Dance class instructor Leanne Lucas
Ms Lucas told of living in constant fear since the attack, unable to feel safe at work or in public places and said she can not give herself compassion or accept praise, adding: “How can I live knowing I survived when children died?”
She said it left her unable to trust society, revealing the “badness” lurking in plain sight and altering her mindset to believe harm can happen to anyone.
The 36-year-old told the court that she dedicated her life to helping children and families, creating a safe community, but the attack robbed her of her role, purpose and sense of trust in herself.
Ms Lucas said: “On that day, I received several injuries that have not only affected me physically but also mentally. I, as do the girls, have scars we cannot unsee, scars we cannot move on from.”
Sweeney also denied speculation that he was planning to ride out the furore in the hope of stepping down in the wake of a successful Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year.
The tournament is being hosted in England, has already brought in record ticket sales, and the Red Roses are hot favourites to win the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
“I saw something a while back saying I have some specific bonus linked to a women’s World Cup win – that is not the case, that is not true,” Sweeney said.
“If I was in a mind to step down, I would have done it now and I wouldn’t wait until after a women’s World Cup.
“I still have some unfinished business here until the end of 2027. [England men’s head coach] Steve Borthwick is a great coach and we have a great squad of men’s players as well as women’s.
“There is a buzz and a good atmosphere around the place and I would like to see that through.”
Sweeney has said that, contrary to criticisms of his time in charge, he is proud of the RFU’s finances in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The chief executive said record losses in the past financial year were down to the four-year cycle around the men’s Rugby World Cup, in which tournament years add extra expenses while wiping money-spinning autumn internationals off the fixture list, and a steep rise in utility and business costs.
He also defended his own pay, which was made up of £742,000 and a bonus of £358,000 last year.
Sweeney said that, while he had unsuccessfully explored the possibility of deferring his bonus payment, it was the result of a scheme intended to retain senior leaders through the pandemic and benchmark their performance against specific goals.
“When you are the recipient of something like an LTIP [long-term incentive plan], you don’t request it, you don’t design it, you don’t set the criteria for its payment,” he said.
“The payment was against very clear criteria of which 77% were hit, so part of me says that was put in place to deliver something to a level which we delivered.
“I don’t feel we need to apologise for that scheme.”
Sweeney and other RFU officials are embarking on a tour of grassroots clubs over the next few months to put forward their case before a special general meeting on his future.
Rob Sigley, the founder of the Community Clubs Union, believes it is already too late for Sweeney to win over many in the sport who feel that too much money has been focused on the elite game.
“We have openly called for his head and for him to resign,” said Sigley of Sweeney.
“He sits there at the top and is part of these decision-making processes and he’s accountable for it.”
NewsBeat
Queen evokes ‘deadly seeds of Holocaust’ in warning over antisemitism and Islamophobia | UK News
The Queen has urged people to heed the warning of history and speak out over rising levels of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Speaking at an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Camilla pointed out that the genocide of European Jews during the Second World War was foreshadowed by “small acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination”.
She told the reception hosted by the Anne Frank Trust: “Today, more than ever, with levels of antisemitism at their highest level for a generation; and disturbing rises in Islamophobia and other forms of racism and prejudice, we must heed this warning.
Anne Frank became a globally recognised symbol of Holocaust victims after the publication of the diaries she kept during the war. File pic: AP
“The deadly seeds of the Holocaust were sown at first in small acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination towards those who had previously been neighbours and friends.
“Over a terrifying short period of time, those seeds took root through the complacency of which we can all be guilty: of turning away from injustice, of ignoring that which we know to be wrong, of thinking that someone else will do what’s needed – and of remaining silent.
“Let’s unite in our commitment to take action, to speak up and to ensure that the words ‘never forget’ are a guiding light that charts a path towards a better, brighter, and more tolerant future for us all.
“As Anne wrote in her diary on 7th May 1944: ‘What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again’.”
Read more
King to attend 80th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation
Pupils to ‘talk’ to Holocaust survivors with AI technology
Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany led the systematic murder of around six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population.
Anne Frank kept a diary while in hiding in Amsterdam and it was published after the war, turning her into a globally recognised symbol of Holocaust victims.
She died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp aged 15, shortly before it was liberated by Allied forces.
Politics
Keir Starmer issues direct message to Southport community after Axel Rudakubana sentencing and vows action as he addresses ‘harrowing moment’
Sir Keir Starmer has branded Axel Rudakubana’s crimes “one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history” in a direct message to the Southport community this evening.
Speaking after Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum term of 51 years in prison, the Prime Minister said: “The thoughts of the entire nation are with the families and everyone affected by the unimaginable horrors that unfolded in Southport.
“No words will ever be able to capture the depth of their pain.
“I want to say directly to the survivors, families and community of Southport – you are not alone. We stand with you in your grief.
‘You are not alone. We stand with you in your grief,’ the Prime Minister said
PA
“What happened in Southport was an atrocity and as the judge has stated, this vile offender will likely never be released.
“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.”
Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor at the CPS’s Mersey-Cheshire branch, also paid tribute “to the victims and their families in this harrowing case” in a further statement on Thursday.
Calling Rudakubana’s crimes “dreadful”, Hammond said that the case “is one of the most harrowing that I, as the Chief Crown Prosecutor for this area, have ever come across”.
READ MORE AS AXEL RUDAKUBANA IS SENT DOWN:
Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum term of 51 years in prison today
PA
“Axel Rudakubana is a murderer; utter devastation followed as he acted out a meticulously planned rampage of murder and violence,” she said.
“His purpose was to kill and he targeted the youngest, most vulnerable – no doubt in order to spread the greatest level of fear and outrage, which he did.
“Three days ago, he pleaded guilty to all 16 counts against him, saving the families of the victims the trauma of reliving the events of that day in a trial.
“But he has never expressed any remorse, only cowardice, in his refusal to face the families whose lives he has forever changed.
Axel Rudakubana, as seen in a court sketch from his sentencing hearing on January 23
PA
“This has been an extremely difficult case for the whole prosecution team and police officers at Merseyside Police. They have had to work through some harrowing footage and evidence.
“I would like to thank them for their perseverance, compassion and determination to achieve justice for the victims and their families.
“This sentencing brings to an end this case, but the events of that day will leave a tragic legacy that will unfortunately endure for many years.”
The victims and their families “have shown tremendous dignity and composure in the face of unbelievable horror”, she added.
NewsBeat
Axel Rudakubana likely to spend life in prison after being sentenced to 52 years for Southport murders
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A disturbed teenager who murdered three innocent girls in a mass stabbing at a children’s dance class in Southport and later gloated “I’m glad they’re dead” is likely to never be released from prison.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years for carrying out the horrific attack which was described as a “pre-meditated attempt to commit indiscriminate mass murder”.
The remorseless killer, who admitted 16 offences, was absent from the dock as the sentence was read out on Thursday, having twice been removed from court for shouting.
He was given 13 life sentences with a minimum term of 51 years and 190 days. Some time was taken off his 52-year sentence due to time already served in custody.
Judge Mr Justice Goose said he was unable to hand him a rare whole life order because he was only 17 at the time of the attack on 29 July last year. He turned 18 just nine days after the attack.
The teenager dramatically changed his plea on the first day of his trial on Monday, admitting to murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice, who died from her injuries in hospital after she fled the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday class.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to murder eight children who were wounded – with some stabbed in the back as they tried to escape – and two adults who tried to protect them.
He further admitted to producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing a document containing an al-Qaeda training material, which included information on knife attacks which he used to help plot his assault.
The judge said the killer was intent on “horrific extreme violence” and would have killed all 26 children at the class and any adult who got in his way if he could.
“In his mind was an intention to murder as many of them as he possibly could”, he said. “He wanted to carry out mass murder on innocent, happy young girls.
“Over 15 minutes, he savagely killed three of them and attempted to kill eight more as well as two adults who tried to stop him.”
The court heard how violence-obsessed Rudakubana had travelled by taxi from his home in Banks, Lancashire, to the Hart Space in Southport, where 26 girls aged six to 13 were attending a fully booked children’s holiday class.
They were making friendship bracelets and singing Taylor Swift songs when he entered the room wearing a surgical face mask and bright green hoodie, brandishing a 20cm kitchen knife.
He grabbed the nearest child and stabbed her, before he then moved through the room systematically stabbing as many as possible.
Some were stabbed in the back as they desperately tried to escape, with one girl later seen running out of the building only to be dragged back in by the knifeman.
Members of victims families sobbed in the public gallery as harrowing CCTV of the attack was played to the court. In the footage, girls could be seen screaming in terror as they fled the dance studio into the carpark.
Shortly afterwards, a seven-year-old girl dressed in summer shorts and stroppy top, was shown being pulled back inside the studio by Rudakubana. Later, she was seen stumbling out of the door with visible wounds – clinging to a wall for support before she collapsed on the floor.
When the girl’s father eventually arrived on the scene, her injuries were so horrific he did not recognise her because her long-blonde hair was so soaked with blood it looked brown, the court heard.
When police arrived, officers found Rudakubana at the top of the stairs standing over the lifeless body of Bebe holding the kitchen knife, which he dropped when officers told him to.
The “sadistic” injuries he inflicted on her and Elsie, who both died at the scene after suffering 122 and 85 sharp force injuries, were “untreatable” no matter how quickly paramedics arrived, prosecutor Deanna Hear KC told the court.
The teenager remained silent in police interview but appeared to gloat about the horrific attack in unsolicited comments made in the police custody suite, which were noted down or recorded on CCTV, saying: “I’m glad those kids are dead, it makes me happy.”
He also said: “I don’t care, I’m feeling neutral,” and “so happy, six years old. It’s a good thing they are dead, yeah.”
Police searches of his address and analysis of his computers uncovered a disturbing fascination with violence, death and genocide – as well as a plastic container of deadly poison ricin.
He had researched car bombs, detonators and nitric acid, and owned weapons including a machete, scabbard and another knife identical to the one used in the attack.
Searches of his devices also revealed an obsession with massacres, torture and a wide range of brutal conflicts, including the genocide in Rwanda, where his parents are from.
Detective chief inspector Jason Pye, the senior investigating officer, said the evidence showed this was “no random acts of violence, but a planned, premeditated attempt to commit indiscriminate mass murder”.
“He wasn’t fighting for a cause,” he said. “His only purpose was to kill and to target the youngest, most vulnerable, no doubt to spread the greatest fear and outrage.”
In a series of harrowing victim impact statements read to the court, class teacher Leanne Lucas, who was stabbed trying to protect the girls, said: “How can I live knowing I survived when children died?”
“He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey,” she added. “To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible.”
Alice’s grief-stricken parents, Alexandra and Sergio, sobbed and wiped away tears as the court heard how their lives ended too after she succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
“Once she had lost her fight, we lost our lives,” they said in a statement. “Everything stopped still and we froze in time and space. Our life went with her. He took us too. Six months of continuous pain and a lifetime sentence of it.”
Merseyside chief constable Serena Kennedy said the “beautiful faces and names” of the three murder victims “will be etched on the minds of the people of Merseyside forever.”
“The victims were enjoying a day of youthful innocence, untainted by the twisted and unhealthy fascination with violence that drove Axel Rudakubana to carry out the atrocities he had planned in the days leading up to the event,” she added.
“His terrifying attack resulted in the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice – according to prosecution counsel today two of those children suffered particularly horrific injuries which can only be described as sadistic in nature.”
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