A parent of one of the Southport stabbing victims has called for teenage killer Axel Rudakubana to "rot in jail" ahead of his sentencing today at Liverpool Crown Court.
The parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed frustration that Rudakubana cannot receive a whole life tariff because he was just 13 days shy of his 18th birthday when he committed the murders last July.
"Why should he be spared a whole life tariff when he hasn't spared a thought for any of the victims' families? Life should mean life," the parent said.
"Even if he gets 40 years, it's not enough. He could be out to enjoy the latter part of his life. The three little girls he murdered can't do that."
The parent insisted that "an exception should be made by the judge" due to the horrific nature of the crimes.
Rudakubana carried out his attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, murdering three young children and injuring multiple others.
The victims were named as Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, aged nine.
Eight other children were wounded in the stabbing rampage.
Two adults who intervened - yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes, 63 - were also stabbed during the incident.
Rudakubana has been told a life sentence is "inevitable" when he appears before Judge Mr Justice Goose at Liverpool Crown Court.
However, according to the Ministry of Justice, international law prevents whole life tariffs being imposed on those under 18 at the time of their crimes.
The parent also condemned Rudakubana's lack of remorse, with the killer having refused to speak during previous hearings.
Despite initially forcing families to prepare for a month-long trial, Rudakubana changed his plea on the first day, admitting to all 16 charges.
He would not even stand while saying "guilty" to each count.
"He only changed his plea in the hope of getting a reduction in his sentence. It was to try to save his own skin," the parent said.
Guidelines suggest his guilty pleas could reduce his sentence by up to a third.
The parent revealed their child is still struggling "mentally" following the attack.
Rudakubana, who has shown no obvious signs of mental health disorder, has maintained his silence throughout proceedings.
It emerged that Rudakubana had been reported to anti-terror agency Prevent three times, with the first report dating back to 2019, but no action was taken.
The killer had displayed a clear "obsession with violence", including searching for genocide content online and possessing an al-Qaeda training manual.
Despite these red flags, he was still able to purchase the 20cm knife used in the attack from Amazon.
"This day didn't need to happen if people in his past dealt with the problem when presented with it," the parent said.
"There were several chances to stop this horrific outcome, so the blame ultimately lands with every organisation that came across him. It's one massive failure of people."
The parent condemned what they called a "systemic failure" by the Government, police, Prevent and schools in handling Rudakubana's case.
The parent also expressed support for the public inquiry announced by the Prime Minister and backed measures to restrict online knife sales.
Sir Keir Starmer addressed the issue yesterday, saying: "It is unacceptable these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it, and we're going to take action."
Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, is expected to receive a life sentence with a minimum term when he appears in court.
The starting point for his minimum term is likely to be 30 years.
The judge will consider whether to reduce this by up to a third due to his guilty pleas.
The killer cannot receive a whole life order due to international law preventing such sentences for offenders under 18.
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The parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed frustration that Rudakubana cannot receive a whole life tariff because he was just 13 days shy of his 18th birthday when he committed the murders last July.
"Why should he be spared a whole life tariff when he hasn't spared a thought for any of the victims' families? Life should mean life," the parent said.
"Even if he gets 40 years, it's not enough. He could be out to enjoy the latter part of his life. The three little girls he murdered can't do that."
The parent insisted that "an exception should be made by the judge" due to the horrific nature of the crimes.
Rudakubana carried out his attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, murdering three young children and injuring multiple others.
The victims were named as Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, aged nine.
Eight other children were wounded in the stabbing rampage.
Two adults who intervened - yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes, 63 - were also stabbed during the incident.
Rudakubana has been told a life sentence is "inevitable" when he appears before Judge Mr Justice Goose at Liverpool Crown Court.
However, according to the Ministry of Justice, international law prevents whole life tariffs being imposed on those under 18 at the time of their crimes.
The parent also condemned Rudakubana's lack of remorse, with the killer having refused to speak during previous hearings.
Despite initially forcing families to prepare for a month-long trial, Rudakubana changed his plea on the first day, admitting to all 16 charges.
He would not even stand while saying "guilty" to each count.
"He only changed his plea in the hope of getting a reduction in his sentence. It was to try to save his own skin," the parent said.
Guidelines suggest his guilty pleas could reduce his sentence by up to a third.
The parent revealed their child is still struggling "mentally" following the attack.
Rudakubana, who has shown no obvious signs of mental health disorder, has maintained his silence throughout proceedings.
It emerged that Rudakubana had been reported to anti-terror agency Prevent three times, with the first report dating back to 2019, but no action was taken.
The killer had displayed a clear "obsession with violence", including searching for genocide content online and possessing an al-Qaeda training manual.
Despite these red flags, he was still able to purchase the 20cm knife used in the attack from Amazon.
"This day didn't need to happen if people in his past dealt with the problem when presented with it," the parent said.
"There were several chances to stop this horrific outcome, so the blame ultimately lands with every organisation that came across him. It's one massive failure of people."
The parent condemned what they called a "systemic failure" by the Government, police, Prevent and schools in handling Rudakubana's case.
The parent also expressed support for the public inquiry announced by the Prime Minister and backed measures to restrict online knife sales.
Sir Keir Starmer addressed the issue yesterday, saying: "It is unacceptable these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it, and we're going to take action."
Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, is expected to receive a life sentence with a minimum term when he appears in court.
The starting point for his minimum term is likely to be 30 years.
The judge will consider whether to reduce this by up to a third due to his guilty pleas.
The killer cannot receive a whole life order due to international law preventing such sentences for offenders under 18.
Find Out More...