Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana had a desire to leave a twisted ‘mark on the world ‘, a psychologist tells The Mirror.
The triple murderer was 17 years old when he took a taxi to a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July, armed with a kitchen knife from Amazon, and launched a f renzied attack on a crowded room of youngsters, murdering three innocent little girls, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
At his sentencing today, the court heard how Rudakubana said, “I’m glad they’re dead”, as he was held in custody after the savage rampage, and sickeningly expressed he was “happy” that one victim was as young as six. The killer will now likely spend the rest of his years behind bars, after being handed a whole-life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years.
Axel Rudakubana
A psychologist says he craved destruction and wanted to leave a mark on the world(Liverpool Echo)
Over the last six months, it has become clear that Rudakubana was hell-bent on creating carnage and death, and was obsessed with extreme violence and genocide, but detectives have been unable to determine his motive. He has remained silent when questioned in interviews, but a number of “unsolicited comments” were recorded on CCTV or noted down by police.
These include, “I don’t care, I’m feeling neutral”, “It’s a good thing those children are dead” and “So happy, six years old. It’s a good thing they are dead.” Rudakubana repeatedly said he was “so glad” his victims had died. In court today, he repeatedly claimed to be ill and unable to proceed without disrupting the hearing, showing “utter disrespect to the families” of victims, which was “absolutely appalling”, Patrick Hurley, Labour MP for Southport said.
Criminologist and psychologist Alex Iszatt has analyzed his journey to evil and has suggested that he was motivated by a deep desire for recognition and notoriety. She told The Mirror: ” Mentally, the behavior showed deep turmoil, unresolved trauma, and growing delusions. The obsession with violence wasn’t just fascination – it was a desire for control, recognition, and perhaps a legacy.
” The fixation on killing vulnerable, defenseless victims, particularly children, reflected an overwhelming need for control, with the desire to dominate and assert power over those unable to fight back. This craving for destruction seemed to be an attempt to leave a mark on the world as if violence was the only way to gain the recognition long sought.”
