The Attorney General has deemed Axel Rudakubana’s sentence appropriate after a review request following the Southport murders.
Some MPs and a parent, whose child survived the attack, criticized the sentence. Attorney General Lord Hermer KC responded to review requests, stating that he would not send the case to the Court of Appeal after consulting with legal experts. They agreed a referral wasn’t right.
Lord Hermer said the murders were barbaric and that he understands why people want a review. He clarified that the review scheme fixes judicial mistakes, but a court process would hurt the families. He added that there’s no good legal reason to increase the sentence, and Rudakubana will likely stay in jail forever.
The judge gave the second-longest sentence ever in England. The government will ensure this never happens again, Lord Hermer added his thoughts being with all the victims’ families. Rudakubana killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe. He also tried to murder others.
He admitted to having terrorist material, including an al-Qaeda manual and to making ricin, a toxin. Patrick Hurley, Southport’s MP, wanted the sentence reviewed, thinking it wasn’t tough enough. A parent wanted Rudakubana to “rot in jail”, arguing that the law needs changing.
Rudakubana cannot get a whole-life order due to his age, as this punishment is reserved for those 21 or older, and sometimes for 18 to 20-year-olds. His sentence is likely the longest for someone his age. Kemi Badenoch thinks the law should change, and Tories may explore this.
Keir Starmer said Rudakubana will probably never be freed, international law prevents life sentences for minors. Families were informed that the case won’t go to court. A public inquiry will investigate the Southport attack; Rudakubana was reported to Prevent three times and police had six calls about him.
Attacks followed the murders, with mosques and asylum-seeker housing targeted. False claims spread online about the suspect, with people wrongly claiming he came in a small boat. Over 1,000 arrests happened because of the disorder, and hundreds were charged and jailed.
The justice system was strained, with prisons becoming overcrowded. Experts want a national talk about sentencing to ease the prison crisis. The prison population has almost doubled in 30 years and is projected to hit 100,000 by 2029, attributed to tougher sentences and sentence lengths growing by half.
Lower-level prisoners were freed early to ease overcrowding. Starmer’s government ordered a sentencing review, which David Gauke, a former Tory justice secretary, will lead. PA provided additional reporting.