Teen who killed 3 girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England sentenced to over 50 years

LONDON (AP) -- A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for what a judge called "the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime."

Judge Julian Goose said 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana "wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent, happy young girls."

Goose said that he couldn't impose a sentence of life without parole, because Rudakubana was under 18 when he committed the crime.

But the judge said he must serve 52 years, minus the six months he's been in custody, before being considered for parole, and "it is likely he will never be released."

Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked the children in the seaside town of Southport in July, killing Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. He wounded eight other girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, along with teacher Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, a local businessman who intervened.

The attack shocked the country and set off both street violence and soul-searching. The government has announced a public inquiry into how the system failed to stop the killer, who had been referred to the authorities multiple times over his obsession with violence.

Rudakubana faced three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and additional charges of possessing a knife, the poison ricin and an al-Qaida manual. He unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty on all charges on Monday.

But he wasn't in court to hear sentence passed on Thursday.

Hours earlier he had been led into the dock at Liverpool Crown Court in northwest England, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit. But as prosecutors began outlining the evidence, Rudakubana interrupted by shouting that he felt ill and wanted to see a paramedic.

Goose ordered the accused to be removed when he continued shouting. A person in the courtroom shouted "Coward!" as Rudakubana was taken out.

The hearing continued without him.

Several relatives and survivors read emotional statements in court, describing how the attack had shattered their lives.

Lucas, 36, who ran the dance class, said that "the trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous."

"I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died?" she said.

A 14-year-old survivor, who can't be named because of a court order, said that while she was physically recovering. "we will all have to live with the mental pain from that day forever."

"I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you're a coward," she said.

The prosecutor read out a statement from the parents of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who said their daughter's killing had "shattered our souls."

"We used to cook for three. Now we only cook for two. It doesn't seem right," they said. "Alice was our purpose for living, so what do we do now?"

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