Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was found guilty of "ferocious" and "sadistic" murders of three young girls and attempted murders of 10 others during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class , was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison.

When the judge said the 18-year-old refused to appear in the dock He will likely "never be released and he will be jailed for life" due to the "harrowing and brutal premeditated attack" that took place last summer.

The full horror of Ruda Kubana's actions was revealed at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday when he bragged about the attack shortly after his arrest on July 29 last year.

He was heard saying, "I'm glad those kids are dead," and that he didn't care that one of the girls he killed was only six years old. Some of the children, aged between 7 and 13, were stabbed dozens of times and were left with life-changing injuries.

About 40 relatives of the victims gathered, and the sentencing was twice interrupted by the defendant's loud pleas for medical help.

"My chest hurts... I need to talk to the paramedics," he shouted, before interrupting Mr Justice Julian Goose's attempt to continue: "Don't go on! Don't go on! Don't go on! "

Rudacubana cannot be sentenced to life in prison - meaning he will never be released from prison - because he was nine days shy of his 18th birthday when he carried out the attack.

Rudacubana pleaded guilty Monday to the murders of six-year-old Babe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.

He also admitted attempting to murder eight other children and two adults, possessing a version of an Al Qaeda training manual and producing the deadly poison ricin.

Police believe he may have copied the stabbing method from an Islamic manual for the Southport attack. He is also believed to have used it to help create ricin.

Twenty-six girls were sitting around a table making bracelets when Rudakubana appeared at the door with a 20cm knife at 11.45am, just a few minutes after the girls were picked up by their parents. The walking time is only 15 minutes.

In court, CCTV footage showed the young girl screaming and running out of the dance studio seconds after Rudacubana entered, leaving the victim's family in tears.

Prosecutor Deanna Hill KC It said Rudacubana's two victims "suffered particularly horrific injuries which, the prosecution said, are difficult to explain other than their sadistic nature".

Footage of the body abrasion recorded by police showed chaos as officers stormed the blood-stained building and Ruda Kubana could be seen "crouching" over the body of a little girl.

One officer said: "She's dead," another yelled "Oh my God," and others screamed around them. Moments later, police found Heidi Liddle, a dance teacher, who had locked herself in the bathroom with one of the girls. They were escorted out of the building, crying with fear and relief.

In a statement read out in court, the girl's mother described how "time stood still" when she arrived to pick her up and found her still with the knifeman.

Terrified, she called her grandparents and screamed that her daughter was dead, but later discovered she was still alive. They experienced flashbacks, she said, adding that her hair "fell out due to trauma."

Several relatives of the victims left the court, some in tears, before Hill detailed horrific pathological evidence of their injuries, which the Guardian chose not to publish. Some suffered dozens of serious stab wounds.

Hill said Rudacubana was taken to the police station after his arrest and was heard saying: "I'm glad those kids are dead... that makes me happy."

Deal said it was one of many "unsolicited comments" recorded on the CCTV footage or recorded at the time. He was also heard saying: "Six, what a blessing. It's a good thing they're dead, yeah" and: "I don't care, I feel neutral."

A chemical weapons expert concluded that the ricin found in Rudacubana's bedroom was highly toxic, but there was no evidence it had ever been used.

The court heard he purchased enough castor beans - an ingredient used to make the toxin - to produce up to 12,000 fatal inhalations if he completed the distillation process.

The mass stabbing, one of the worst attacks on children in recent British history, was not declared a terror incident because detectives found no evidence it was religious, political or ideologically motivated.

A public inquiry will look into missed opportunities to stop Rudakubana, who was referred three times to Prevent, the government's counter-extremism program, but which did not consider him a threat.

It can now be revealed that Ruda Kubana was arrested with a knife on a bus two years before the Southport attack. However, instead of arresting him, the police took Rudacubana home and advised his mother to keep the knife out of his reach.

Two months later, in May 2022, as the teen's behavior escalated again, his parents pleaded for police help to deal with him. Each time his case was referred to local maintenance officers.

Ruda Kubana bought two 20cm knives from Amazon just days before launching a frenzied knife attack at a dance class in Southport during the first week of school holidays.

The killer did not appear in court to hear the victim's statement. The parents of a girl who suffered life-threatening injuries after being attacked twice by Ruda Kubana likened the scene to a "war zone".

"There was a girl lying on the ground wearing the same clothes as his daughter, but she was so injured that he didn't recognize her," Diehl said of the girl's father. "He had to ask the little girl if she had a brother and what his name was. She answered."

The parents said it was "one of many, many moments that tormented both of us".

Merseyside Police Chief Serena Kennedy described Rudacubana's actions as a "ferocious" and "sadistic" attack, adding: "I know today's conviction and sentence will not erase the memory of the victim and her family." How could this be okay with the pain and trauma his family has endured?

"These incidents have and will continue to impact the victims and their lives every day."