A 17-year-old male has appeared in an English court charged with the murder of three young girls in a frenzied knife attack in northwest England, that has shocked the nation and sparked two nights of violent protests.
Axel Rudakubana first appeared in Liverpool Magistrates Court on Thursday over Monday’s incident at a “Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop” summer holiday event for children aged 6 to 11 in the seaside town of Southport.
He is charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.
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His case was later heard at Liverpool Crown Court, where he sat in the dock covering his face with a grey sweatshirt and did not speak.
Judge Andrew Menary did not impose reporting restrictions on Rudakubana’s identity, which had not previously been reported because he is under 18.
Rudakubana was remanded in custody before a further hearing in October.
As well as the killing of three girls aged six to nine, Monday’s attack in the town left eight other children with stab wounds.
Two of the children were discharged from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and five others continue to be treated there, all of whom are in a stable condition.
There were disturbances in Southport on Tuesday after false information was spread on social media that the suspect behind the stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant, with anti-immigrant protesters descending on the town from elsewhere.
Police said the attack was not terrorism-related and the suspect was born in Britain, quashing speculation on his origins.
In London on Wednesday, thousands gathered near the prime minister’s Downing St residence, shouting “save our kids”, “we want our country back” and “stop the boats”, as well as English football chants.
More than 100 people were arrested.
Police were braced for further trouble in Southport, where more than 50 officers were injured on Tuesday in violent clashes where police vans were set on fire and protesters hurled bricks, bottles and fireworks at officers and cars parked at the town’s mosque.
“Just to reassure the communities of Southport, who I am sure are really worried about ‘are we going to see this again tonight?’, we are absolutely planning for this evening and for the weekend ahead,” Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
Police said 53 officers were hurt, with eight treated in hospital for serious injuries including fractures and head wounds.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed “violent thugs” and said they would “feel the full force of the law”.
On Wednesday, streets in Southport were littered with bricks, smashed bottles, large garbage bins and their contents. Charred tarmac bore witness to police vehicles set alight.
Taylor Swift fans have so far raised more than £270,000 ($A530,000) to help families of the victims and for the hospital where some of the children were being treated.
The American singer has said she is in shock over the “loss of life and innocence” and at a “complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families”.