Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died in the attack in July last year.

The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to all 16 offences he faced on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday. | ITV News Granada

Axel Rudakubana has been handed a 52 year sentence for the murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport last summer. | ITV News Granada

DCI Jason Pye, who led the investigation, said no training course could have prepared his officers for the horror of what they saw.

The 18-year-old’s disruptions meant he was not in court as the judge handed him one of the longest minimum terms on record.

Axel Rudakubana was ejected from the sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court when he screamed from the dock about being ‘ill’

Here is a timeline of what was known when about Southport killer Axel Rudakubana: Axel Rudakubana becomes known to a range of local agencies due to anxiety, social isolation and challenging behaviour. In October he takes a knife to school, and in December attacks another child with a hockey stick.

Southport child-killer Axel Rudakubana is likely to die in jail after being detained for life with a minimum term of 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three girls. The 18-year-old was sentenced in his absence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after indicating he would be “disruptive” if he was present in the courtroom.

The Southport killer said 'I’m glad they’re dead' as he was held in a custody suite after killing three girls at a dance class, the court heard

Southport child-killer Axel Rudakubana is likely to die in jail after being detained for life with a minimum term of 52 years for the “sadistic” murders of three girls. The 18-year-old was sentenced in his absence at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after indicating he would be “disruptive” if he was present in the courtroom.

A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for what a judge called “the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.

Axel Rudakubana was arrested at the scene and taken to Copy Lane police station, where psychiatrists found no evidence to warrant him being held under the Mental Health Act, the prosecution says ...