Timeline of events surrounding the Southport stabbings

The suspect in a stabbing attack in Southport has been charged with manufacturing lethal poison and terrorism offences, police said.

Axel Rudakubana is currently charged with the murders of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were fatally stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, and 10 counts of attempted murder.

Here is a timeline of events in the case.

– 2002: Rudakubana’s father, Alphonse, moves from Rwanda to England, according to an interview he gave to his local newspaper in Southport in 2015.

– 7 August 2006: Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales.

– 2013: The family, including Rudakubana’s father, mother and older brother, moved from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport.

– July 29, 2024: Shortly before noon, a man armed with a knife enters a dance class at The Hart Space on Hart Street in Southport. Bebe, Elsie and Alice were fatally injured. Eight other children were injured, as well as trainer Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. Police said they detained a male and seized a knife. Within hours, claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. Some of the claims include an alleged identity.

– July 30, 2024: In the evening, a peaceful vigil is held outside the Atkinson arts venue in Southport, where flowers are laid in memory of those who died. Shortly after the vigil, a separate protest begins outside the town’s mosque on St Luke’s Road. People throw objects at the mosque, property is damaged and police vehicles are set on fire. Merseyside Police said eight officers were seriously injured.

– July 31, 2024: Demonstrators gathered in Whitehall, London, for the “Enough is Enough” protest. Flares and canisters were thrown at police and more than 100 people were arrested. There is also disorder in Hartlepool, County Durham and Aldershot, Hampshire.

– August 1, 2024: Police announced that Rudakubana was charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of bladed items. His name is not being released by police due to his age. He will appear in court in Liverpool and may be named Liverpool’s Honorary Recorder, Andrew Menary KC, as he turns 18 in a week’s time. A provisional hearing date was set for January and the case was postponed. Later that evening, demonstrators gathered outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester.

– 2 August 2024: Three police officers were taken to hospital following disorder in Sunderland.

– 3 August 2024: There are scenes of violence during planned protests across the UK, including in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast.

– 4 August 2024: Mayhem continues outside Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire; Here, masked demonstrators throw long boards and spray fire extinguishers at police officers.

– 5 August 2024: The government calls an emergency Cobra meeting following the unrest and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promises to “step up criminal justice”. That evening, a week after the murders, a peaceful vigil was held in Southport. Police are dealing with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.

– August 7, 2024: Prison sentences began to be given to those involved in the incidents. Derek Drummond, 58, became the first person to be jailed for violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, where he was sentenced to three years in prison. More than 100 protests and counter-demonstrations are planned across the country, but the majority of police forces report little trouble.

– 29 October 2024: Merseyside Police announced that Rudakubana would appear via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the following day, charged with producing Ricin, a biological toxin, and possessing information that would be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an offence. terrorism. A tentative trial date has been set for January next year.