Axel Rudakubana is charged with production of Ricin and possession of a PDF entitled ‘Military studies in the jihad against the tyrants – the Al-Qaeda training manual’
A new court sketch of the Southport stabbing accused has been released as the teenager appeared in court charged with two further offences. Axel Rudakubana appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, Wednesday, October 30 after he was charged with production of a biology toxin, namely Ricin, contrary to section one of the Biological Weapons Act 1974, and possession of information, namely a PDF file entitled ‘Military studies in the jihad against the tyrants – the Al-Qaeda training manual’, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Rudakubana appeared via video link to HMP Belmarsh wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit which he pulled up over the lower part of his face. Sitting on a row of red plastic chairs, the 18-year-old did not respond when asked to confirm his name, and a security officer with him told the court he had chosen not to speak.
Stan Reiz KC, defending, said: “Mr Rudakubana has remained silent at previous hearings as well. For reasons of his own he has chosen not to answer the question.” Deanna Heer KC, appearing for the prosecution, told the court the defendant had previously been charged with “offences committed in Southport in July”.
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Ms Heer said: “He is currently facing proceedings in Liverpool Crown Court. In respect of those matters, he is due to appear on November 13 for a plea trial and preparation hearing. And the Crown’s application would be for both of those matters to be sent directly to Liverpool Crown Court to link up with those matters.”
After Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said the new charges were “related in the sense they had come out of the same facts”, he sent the case to Liverpool where Rudakubana’s plea and trial preparation hearing will be heard by Mr Justice Goose. The judge added: “The prosecution will ask the judge to link up matters together.” A provisional trial date for Rudakubana has been set for January next year.
Rudakubana was previously charged with the murders of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, following a mass stabbing on Hart Street in Southport on July 29 this year. Rudakubana, of Banks in Lancashire, was also charged with the attempted murder of eight children and two adults – Leanne Lucas and John Hayes – as well as possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
The two new charges were announced yesterday afternoon by Merseyside Police at a press conference held at the force’s HQ. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told the press conference: “The two further offences relate to evidence obtained by Merseyside Police during searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address as part of a lengthy and complex investigation which has been ongoing since the 29th of July.”
However, the force said Counter Terrorism police have not declared the Southport attack a “terrorist incident”. Chief Constable Kennedy said: “The matter of which Axel Rudakubana has been charged under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared as a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established.”
Questions have since been levelled at the government over when senior figures in the government knew that fresh charges would be brought against Rudakubana. Both the candidates to be the next Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, have publicly asked why the information was not released earlier, with the latter suggesting the state had been “lying”.
Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon before the budget announcement, the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “All of us in this House have a choice to make – including both candidates to be the next Tory leader – they can either support the police in their difficult task or they can undermine the police in their difficult task. And I know which side I’m on.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said this morning: “Yesterday we announced further charges against Axel Rudakubana. We want to remind people that criminal proceedings against Axel Rudakubana are active and therefore it is extremely important that there is no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. We are determined to deliver justice in this case.”
