Teen who killed three children at Taylor Swift-themed event ...

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Taylor Swift meets families of Southport victims before show

Taylor Swift met with the families of victims affected by the mass stabbing at a children's dance class in the UK.

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A British teenager who pled guilty to fatally stabbing three girls at a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class in Southport, England, was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted killing the girls and stabbing 10 others last July in the northern English town, an atrocity that shocked Britain and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.

Merseyside Police issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, writing: "Today, Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52-years for his cowardly and terrifying attack on the young girls and adults at Hart Space on 29th July 2024."

Rudakubana killed 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. The 18-year-old also seriously wounded eight other children and two adults.

"We want to pay tribute to Bebe, Elsie and Alice, who will never be forgotten, and the children and adults who suffered serious injuries, and those young victims who were severely traumatised by what they witnessed on that day," the police statement continued.

"Although no outcome at court could possibly ease the pain and trauma for the victims and their families, we hope that knowing he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison will bring them some comfort," the statement concluded.

According to Reuters, prosecutor Deanna Heer told Liverpool Crown Court that Rudakubana was obsessed with violence and genocide, and two of his victims suffered such terrible injuries they were "difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature."

Judge Julian Goose said he could not impose a full life sentence as Rudakubana was 17 when the attack took place but he was unlikely ever to be released.

Twice during Thursday's hearing, Rudakubana was removed from the dock after shouting he was unwell. He refused to return to court to hear his sentence.

The court was shown harrowing video footage of screaming girls fleeing the building. One bloodied girl collapsed outside, provoking gasps and sobs from the court's public gallery. "He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey," Leanne Lucas, 36, the yoga teacher who organized the event and was stabbed five times, told the court.

Court evidence also showed Rudakubana took a taxi cab to the dance class of 26 students and police later discovered the toxic poison of ricin and a PDF file of "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual" at his home in Banks.

After his arrest, Rudakubana told police: "I'm glad those kids are dead, it makes me happy."

Taylor Swift and her mom meet Southport stabbing victims backstage at Eras Tour

Taylor Swift meets victims at Eras Tour

During Swift's August stop of the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, the pop star met with some of the families of the Southport stabbing backstage.

One of the moms, Sami Foster, shared a montage of photos of Swift's 1989 World Tour version of "Enchanted" to her now-private account on TikTok. The mom captioned the post, "You drew stars around my scars ???????? …. The biggest thank you to @TaylorSwift and her mum for making the most magical night possible for us all ???????? thank you for bringing Hope & Autumn pure happiness last night & always ????????????."

Following the July 29 stabbings, Swift shared a note to her Instagram story.

"The horror of yesterday's attack is washing over me continuously and I’m just completely in shock," Swift wrote in part. "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

The post prompted a global community of Swifties to rally together to raise about 395,000 Euros (USD 411,694) for the families impacted.

Contributing: Sam Tobin and Michael Holden, Reuters

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Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.