Attorney General Declines to Appeal Southport Killer’s 52-Year Sentence

Lord Hermer determined there was no legal basis to increase Axel Rudakubana's sentence for the murders of three girls in Merseyside.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January for murdering three young girls and attempting to kill ten others at a dance class when he was 17.
Attorney General Lord Hermer announced he will not refer the case to the Court of Appeal, citing a lack of legal grounds to challenge the length of the sentence.
Rudakubana’s sentence is among the longest in English history but fell short of a whole-life order due to his age at the time of the crime.
The case has reignited calls to amend the law, with some MPs and families of victims advocating for whole-life orders for offenders under 18 in severe cases.
A public inquiry has been launched to examine the failures in preventing the attack, including multiple referrals to the Prevent program and police warnings about Rudakubana.