Taylor Swift met the families of the Southport victims before the show
Taylor Swift meets families of victims of mass stabbing at children’s dance class in UK
Non-Brand – Fun
A British teenager who pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing three girls at a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class in Southport, England, has been jailed for at least 52 years.
Axel Rodakobana, 18, confessed to killing the girls and stabbing 10 others in the northern English town last July, an atrocity that shocked Britain and followed days of nationwide uproar.
Merseyside Police On Thursday, X issued a statement, earlier, writing: “Today, Axel Rodacobana was sentenced to a minimum term of 52 years for his cowardly and horrific attack on young girls and adults at Heartspace on the 29th. Sentenced to life imprisonment with July 2024.
Rodacobana killed 6-year-old Baby King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguirre. The 18-year-old also seriously injured eight other children and two adults.
“We want to pay tribute to Baby, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and to the children and adults who suffered serious injuries, and to the young victims who witnessed that day,” the police statement added. Gaya was deeply traumatized by this.” .
The statement concluded that “while no outcome in court can possibly ease the pain and trauma for the victims and their families, we hope that they will now spend much time in prison.” I know it will give them some comfort.”
According to Reuters, prosecutor Diana Hare told Liverpool Crown Court that Rodakobana had a passion for violence and cannibalism, and that his two victims had suffered such horrific injuries that they were “anyone other than sadistic in nature.” And the thing was hard to explain.”
Judge Julian Goes said he could not impose a full life sentence because Rodacobana was 17 when the attack took place but was unlikely to be released.
Twice during Thursday’s hearing, Rodakobana was removed from the dock after shouting that he was sick. He refused to return to court to hear his sentence.
The court was shown video footage of the screaming girls fleeing the building. A bloodied girl fell out, gasps and sobs erupting from the court’s public gallery. “He targeted us because we were women and girls, weak and easy prey.” Leanne Lucas, 36, who organized the event and was stabbed five times, told the court.
Court evidence also revealed that Rodacobana took a taxi to a dance class of 26 students, and police later found ricin poison and a PDF file of “Military Studies in Jihad Against Oppressors: An Al Qaeda Training Manual” from his possession. Discovered at home. In banks
After his arrest, Rodakobana told police: “I’m glad those kids are dead, that makes me happy.”
Taylor Swift Meets Victims on Eras Tour
During Swift’s August Eras tour stop at Wemley Stadium, the pop star met some Southport families backstage after the stabbing.
One of the moms, Sami Foster, shared photos of Swift’s 1989 world tour version of “Enchanted” on her now-private account on TechTalk. The mom captioned the post, “You drew stars around my scars 💫🥹….Big thanks to @Taylorsoft and her mom for making the most magical night possible for all of us. & always 💗💗💗.”
After the stabbing on July 29, Swift shared a note on her Instagram story.
“The horror of yesterday’s attack continues to wash over me and I am in complete shock,” Swift wrote in part. “It was just little kids in a dance class. I’m at a complete loss to sympathize with these families.”
The post inspired a global community to rally together to raise nearly 395,000 euros (US$411,694) for the families of the victims.
Contributing: Sam Tobin and Michael Holden, Reuters
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