Southport murder accused named as Axel Rudakubana

Judge allows naming of 17-year-old boy charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder

A 17-year-old boy accused of murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport can be named as Axel Rudakubana.

Axel is accused of murdering Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, with a kitchen knife on Monday after entering the class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside. Eight other children suffered knife wounds - with five of them left in a critical condition - while two adults were also critically hurt.