The Misery Machine - The Case of Axel Rudakubana

Starting point is 00:00:00 Taking your child to dance lessons has been a long-standing tradition for many families. From watching them learn their first routine to seeing them perform in a recital, it is a fun first extracurricular activity, a source of pride and accomplishment for children, as well as their parents watching from the audience. These activities should be a safe harbor for children to grow and learn. Not a place where you have to worry that you'll be dropping them off only to never pick them up again. But unfortunately for a dance class in today's story, it was a total nightmare scenario. The most tragic part of it all is that it was completely preventable.

Starting point is 00:00:36 The absolute monster who did this had a long history of red flags and he even admitted that he wanted to do something like this. All the referrals were brushed aside by the powers that be and he was allowed to execute his sinister plan that he'd been plotting for a long, long time. Axel Ruta Kubano was born in Cardiff, Wales on August 7, 2006. His parents, Alphonsef, Ruta Cabana and Letitia Mu Zaire were immigrants from Rwanda, who left their home country with the hopes of a more peaceful life in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Latisha converted to evangelical Christianity in Wales. She actively followed David Turner, an evangelist who alleged that disabilities and chronic illnesses can be cured through the power of Christ. The family had lived in the UK for about four years before

Starting point is 00:01:25 Axel was born. In early 2013, they moved to Banks, a coastal village. near Southport. Elphonse worked as a taxi driver in Liverpool and also ran an online store selling anything he thought he could. He held a black belt and showed a con karate and was a former coach. According to reports, his father was a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. Latisha was a homemaker and Axel's older brother was a mathematician and musician. He was described as the boisterous member of the family and always full of mischief. Axel was described as a shy, quiet, me boy, with one neighbor saying they very rarely saw him. In fact, some neighbors on his cul-de-sac didn't even know that the couple had a second child. Described as a recluse and a bit of a loner,

Starting point is 00:02:11 one neighbor remarked, I've lived here a long time. That's probably only the second time I've seen him. According to Alphonse, his son was on the autism spectrum. Axel had a very difficult time fitting in, often feeling bullied by his fellow students. One of Axel's early passions was theater. He took acting classes at the Pauline Quirk Academy before becoming a member of a musical theater group. The same time, he didn't really fit in with the theater kids either. Axel did well at acting, though, eventually landing a role in a fundraiser commercial for children in need dressed as David Tennant's version of Dr. Who. In 2017, Axel began attending Range High School at the age of 11 in the nearby village of Formby. While his first few years were not notable, teachers described him as having

Starting point is 00:02:57 issues with anxiety and social isolation. It further noted him as having a volatile character, anger issues, and being prone to act with violence. Other students at the school remember his obsession with violent figures of history. One student prophetically described him as a ticking bomb. His obsession with violence led him to spending hundreds of hours researching genocide in wars, such as the Ukraine conflict, World War II, but especially the Rwandan genocide. In October of 2019, he contacted Childline, a British counseling service for children and young adults. Axel asked the question, what should I do if I want to kill somebody? Further discussion led to his disclosing he'd been bullied and that he wanted to kill that

Starting point is 00:03:43 particular student. He was expelled shortly after due to telling the counselor that he had brought a knife to school multiple times. Later that December, he returned to school with a hockey stick scrawled with students' names on it and attacked a student. Before a teacher could restrain him, he managed to break the other student's wrist. Police found a knife in his backpack that hadn't been used in the attack. He was arrested in charge with assault and possession of weapons. He pled guilty and was referred to the youth offending team for counseling. Axel began attending the Acorn School, which is an institute for students with special needs due to his autism and his previous violent outbursts.

Starting point is 00:04:23 While he was there, he was referred to the Prevent Program. Now, Prevent is a program in the UK that focuses on safeguarding individuals from being drawn into terrorism or extremism. There were concerns over minor acts of violence, multiple instances of researching school shootings, and him bringing a weapon to his former school. However, his referral was reviewed and closed with no further action taken. He was eventually barred from the school after they discovered his conviction for assault at the previous school. Axel then started distance learning but failed to complete the school work.

Starting point is 00:04:55 It was eventually allowed back to the school under strict supervision, but garnered another prevent referral due to him showing pictures of Muammar Gaddafi's dead body to other students. A third referral was generated after a teacher found open internet tabs researching the 2017 London Bridge terrorist attack where a van was driven into pedestrians, followed by a stabbing spree by the van's occupants. This referral was again closed with no action taken. Axel's home life wasn't any calmer either. Records show that the police were called to his home at least four times over issues of family violence and damaging his father's car. And if it wasn't already clear to you, Axel was the aggressor in all these incidents. He was reported missing by his mother before being located after a

Starting point is 00:05:39 bus driver alerted the police of someone turned out to be Axel not paying the bus fare. Later, his parents called the police again when he became violent after being grounded from his computer. He switched schools for a third time, this time at the Pressfield High School and Specialist College, however, he rarely attended. When school officials made home visits, they usually requested a police presence due to the issues that Axel had shown them. On July 24th, 2024, this marked an escalation in Axle's behavior. He anonymously requested a taxi to take him to range high school just before summer vacation started. His father came out to talk to Axel while he was in the taxi. No one seemed sure what it was about, but Axel, who was wearing a green hoodie and a surgical mask, left the taxi and went back into the home.

Starting point is 00:06:25 It was a very key moment before Axel went off the deep end. You can be the one to speculate if you want to, but to this day we still don't know exactly what was said, or if Axel's family had any idea about what he was plotting. Nearly a week later on July 29th, the situation became grim. A neighbor noticed him pacing on the street just after 6 a.m., which was completely out of character for him. Just before 1145, Axel got into a taxi that he once again ordered anonymously. He was dressed in the same green hoodie and surgical mask. This time, he went to Heart Space, a local community area.

Starting point is 00:07:17 He stiffed the car, mate. He stiffed the taxi driver and walked into the building, heading to the second floor where Leanne Lucas and Heidi Little were putting on a dance workshop. The workshop was aimed at girls from ages 6 to 11 and was based on the music of Taylor Swift. When he came into the workshop, Leanne assumed he was there to pick up one of the children. Axel then pulled a 7-inch kitchen knife from his hoodie, walked up to a child and stabbed her repeatedly. He moved through the room quickly and quietly attacking the children in a frenzy.

Starting point is 00:08:12 Leanne only realized what was happening when Axel reached her and stabbed her five times in the back. She did her best to protect the children, pushing them out of fire exit and hiding them wherever she could. Heidi managed to lock a child in the bathroom to keep Axel away from them. One escaping child was grabbed just as she got out of the room. Axel pulled her back inside, stabbing her in the process. 63-year-old worker Jonathan Hayes ran into the studio from the first floor and found Axel standing over an unresponsive child. He attempted to grab the knife and was stabbed in the leg.

Starting point is 00:08:49 Police arrived at 1157 a.m. and found Axel standing over the body of six-year-old Baby King, who suffered at least 122 separate knife wounds. When ordered to stand down, Axel complied, dropped the knife and was taken into custody. I'll film it, I'll film it. We've got no. We've got no information to suggest there's anything other than this person involved.

Starting point is 00:09:30 He's in custody because there's a knife up there. It's been to sound. Not that we can tell me. I've said all the cupboards in the main room. I'm going to be. I mean, I don't know. Nate, we have... Nate, ask, not just the way, ask it just to clear it.

Starting point is 00:09:52 Pop us on the front. Ben to Lloydy. Yeah, Jeff. Sort of. If you want to cock into the rear, I've got him here. Yeah, can get that key back there. Can you get all that arm? I'm all right with you doing that.

Starting point is 00:10:12 Yeah, I just want to take it from me. There's a... Take it, make this... Take his arm over there, mate. Yeah. Yappy. Just double off a bit, mate. All right?

Starting point is 00:10:32 I can get in the back with him if you want. Just a couple of belt braces. Outside, passing strangers scrambled to help as many of the young girls as possible. Martin Taijan and Joel Verite, local pedestrians who happened to be in the area at the time, came across Heidi and the group of children, many of whom had blood on their clothes. Joel asked a young girl if she was okay,

Starting point is 00:10:58 and she replied to him, He's fucking killing kids over there. We're driving down Hart Street and then all of a sudden he said he slammed on the middle of the road and said, have you seen that? I said no. You reversed the van back

Starting point is 00:11:09 and then all I'll see from my side was literally half ahead from a girl hanging from the side of a car. So I jump out the car and I go up to her and I just ask her if she's all right and she just looked in complete shock. She had blood all over her body and she just screamed at me.

Starting point is 00:11:27 She screamed at me. She said, and killing kids over there, he's killing kids over there. I just looked at Martin and we were just in complete shot. We just didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do. But looking at this woman, she looked in a really bad way and I just knew some, you know, it was a really bad situation. So me and Martin start walking towards the place where she's pointed at.

Starting point is 00:11:48 And how far is she from the place where she's pointed out? She's at the top of the road leaning against the car. There was more people down the road. But at this stage at the time, we were so focused on this girl. We didn't see there was more people down there. We're just hearing this girl screaming to us, this guy's stabbing kids at this location. So we start walking down,

Starting point is 00:12:06 we'll start running towards this place where she's pointed and she gets up, it's like she used all of her energy to point to us where this was happening and then she completely collapses onto the floor, in which case we go up to make sure she's all right. She was also on the phone to the police at the same time, which is when I've took the phone off her and I'm on the phone to the police.

Starting point is 00:12:24 Martin's making sure she's all right. I start running towards this direction which is obviously where this is happening, where these kids are in the dance studio. And I'm running, I get to the car park. And as I'm running into the car, as I'm running towards the door, there's a car which is a car which is a woman's in the car. And she's beeping her own and she's screaming for me to come over. So I run straight over to the car. And it's just a middle-aged woman and she's got, I presume, hurt one of her child in the passenger seat. And in the back there's like four or five more kids.

Starting point is 00:12:57 all in the back, covered in blood. It was like a scene you'd see on like a disaster film, honestly. And she just looked at me, the woman, she said, honestly, love, I just want to make sure these kids are safe. I'm just going to park on the road. Please, can you get this girl out? So I open, you've got the driver's side. On the driver's side, behind the driver's seat,

Starting point is 00:13:15 I opened the door, and honestly, there's this girl, which will probably stay with me for the rest of my life, and she was completely out of it. I can't explain to you how horrific, it is what I saw but I am in the moment I just I didn't even know what to do I didn't know what to think I just wanted to get her out of the car and try and get her to safety so I've just got this girl out of the car and I've I've ran towards the road and I've just been because we're there at the start you see

Starting point is 00:13:42 so there's only a few members of the public and the main thing in in that specific moment was like there's still more this is actually happening and there's people inside there because that's that's where they've been that's where they've come from so I just initially wanted to to get her out of the car and try and get her to safety, but I didn't know where I was safe, if that makes sense. So I take her to the road and I'm shouting,

Starting point is 00:14:04 I'm screaming for help, someone ringing the ambulance, everyone was trying to do the best, no one expected that was, that would happen, but in the moment, all you want is just like, a professional to be there to like, kind of know what to do. So, you know, I go to the front, to take her out of the car part,

Starting point is 00:14:19 I run to the front, I'm shouting all this, then we put her down, me and Martin put her down, then Martin stays with this girl then, okay, and there's more people, which are coming at this stage. There's more people coming to help everyone's gathering around, everyone's doing what they can do. And then I run back in, I run back into the car park

Starting point is 00:14:36 and I basically run towards the door where, which is the entrance and the exit out to the dance studio. And you get there and it's like, the building's like an L-shaped and you've got the gym where I used to go to upstairs and there was two men in this in this bit here. And I don't know who's who.

Starting point is 00:14:51 I don't know what's going on. So I'm looking at these men and there. They just look completely shook up and frightened and they're pointing to this, to this dance studio saying, he's in there, mate, he's in there. So I open the door downstairs and as you go in, there's just a stairway which goes up and there's a landing at the top

Starting point is 00:15:07 and then which goes through, I presume, the dance studio. So I just like, just remember open the door and I was shouting hello, just see if anyone was there and then I remember just taking a step on, I remember go onto the stairs and took a few steps onto the stairs. I'm still at the bottom of the stairs though and I'll look up and then there's just this, guy there at the top of the stairs just in a full track suit with this hood up with a knife and it's like

Starting point is 00:15:32 it's like he maybe didn't realize that I was going to be in there but he's we've looked at each over then he's scurried off to the side and you locked eyes with this man you looked at him i looked at this guy yeah martin started CPR on one girl nine-year-old alice de Silva agujar eight other girls and both the adults were treated for injuries and most of them were critical multiple area hospitals received the wounded victims including all their hay children's hospital ain't University Hospital, Southport and Formby District General Hospital, Ormskirk District General Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, two of the girls passed away at the scene, B.B. King and Elsie Dot Stancombe. Alice DeSilva Aguard passed away the following day.

Starting point is 00:16:15 Reports released during his sentencing later described the sheer frenzy he had been in when discussing the wounds found on the children. Seven-year-old Elsie Stancombe suffered over 85 injuries to her head base, neck, torso, and upper limbs. B.B. King had incurred at least 122 sharp force injuries with the involved pathologist determining that Axel had attempted to decapitate her. Alice de Silva Aguier also suffered a chop wound

Starting point is 00:16:42 to her head and four stab wounds to her back. The other children who survived also suffered to different but horrendous degrees. Through their ages, their names are protected, as they should be. Child one who almost escaped received 32 stab wounds, many on her arms and back. Child two was stabbed once in her chest and multiple times in the back. Child three had her shoulder blade and rib fractured by stab wounds, along with two

Starting point is 00:17:08 spinal vertebrae. Child four had five stab wounds. Child five had two deep wounds that required the removal of her spleen. Child six suffered multiple fractures and a life-threatening internal injury. child seven who was the sister of child two was only stabbed once child eight received a cut to her arm and chin before she managed to get away anne lucas was stabbed five times in the back as she attempted to rescue the children Heidi little luckily was not injured by axel while being questioned by police officers axel told them and i quote it's a good thing those children are dead i'm so glad so happy later he added i'm feeling neutral and literally such a good thing those kids are dead six years old so happy six years old it's a good thing that they are dead yeah police investigated his home afterwards and found clear evidence of exactly what he had planned and executed they found terrorist literature titled military studies in the jihad against the tyrants the al-qaeda training manual which taught methods of killing people with a knife

Starting point is 00:18:19 They also found a plastic container under his bed containing what was determined to be castor oil and rison pulp. While there was no evidence of him managing to use the ricin, it was confirmed by Dr. Martin Pierce that with further purification, it would have provided a range of up to 1,269 doses. A search of electronic devices found material related to violence such as the myth of the remote-controlled car bomb, the history of World War II Germany, and pictures of conflict. in Gaza, Sudan, and Korea. He also found multiple pictures of machetes and other knives. There were also many images of tortured and dismembered bodies

Starting point is 00:18:59 in cartoons depicting violent themes. Axel was charged with a multitude of crimes at his August 1st hearing. Three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon, production of a biological toxin, and possession of a document likely to be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism. However, he was not charged with a specific act of terrorism due to no ideological reason ever being given for the attack. He did not dedicate the action to any group as is common in most terrorist attacks. He appeared in court wearing a gray track suit and kept his face covered.

Starting point is 00:19:33 Initial reporting did not name him as he was under the age of 18 at the time, but these restrictions were eventually lifted by the court. He was remanded to youth custody and held without bail. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf on December 18th as he stood. silently. His trial was scheduled to start four weeks later on January 21st. However, on the 20th, Axel's lawyer informed the court that he would now like to plead guilty to all charges. When the Honorable Justice Julian Goose asked Axel about each of the charges, he quietly replied guilty. The sentencing was set for three days later. On 23rd, the hearing started with victim impact statements from those who wished to read them to the court. While many members of the victim's

Starting point is 00:20:15 families were present, there was no evidence. of Axel's family being there. Instructor Leanne Lucas shared the fear that she now feels in public spaces and how she can no longer view people or society as innately good. The parents of Alice De Silva Aguilar mournfully asked, so what do we do now? Elsie Stancombe's mother, Jenny, made the most direct statements against Axel.

Starting point is 00:20:39 We refuse to give you satisfaction. You know what you have done, and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every single day. Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honor her memory. You will carry her love, positivity, and her legacy forward, no matter how much pain you have caused. Axel was present at the beginning of the hearing, however, he had to be removed due to repeatedly yelling for medical help. The judge believed him to be doing this to disrupt the proceedings and to avoid facing the victims of his crimes. Justice Goose then read his sentencing statement to the court.

Starting point is 00:21:14 He recited the facts of the incident going over in great detail. the various injuries suffered by the victims that day, as well as highlighting the many pieces of evidence found in Axel's house, and the various steps he took to arm and train himself in how to do the most damage to the community. This is my sentence for Axel Ruder-Cabana. During this sentence hearing, Axel Ruder-Cabana was determined to disrupt the proceedings so that he would not have to face the victims of his crimes and justice. I was required to have him removed from court, not because that is what he wanted, but he was preventing the hearing from being held in the normal way. On the 29th of July last year, Ruder Cabana left home and

Starting point is 00:21:59 travelled by taxi to the heart space in Hart Street, Southport, armed with a large kitchen knife, which he had bought on the internet on the 13th of July 16 days earlier. He knew that there was to be a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop where very young girls mostly aged between six and eleven were to enjoy an organized party safely in an upstairs room where the organizers were to look after him. There were 26 children at their party, all of them happy and enjoying themselves. It started at about half-past nine that morning on a warm summer's day, but he had targeted those very young children for the horrific extreme violence he was intent upon. At 1145 that morning he arrived and walked straight into the building at the stairs to where he could hear the sound of happy children.

Starting point is 00:23:01 In his mind was the intention to murder as many of them as he physically could. He wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent, happy, young girls. And over about 15 minutes, he savagely killed three of them and attempted to kill eight more, as well as two adults who tried to stop him. It was of such extreme violence of the utmost and exceptionally high seriousness that is difficult to comprehend why it was done. I am sure that Ruder-Cabana had a settled and determined intention to carry out these offences, and that had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child, all 26 of them, as well as any adults who got in his way. It was only because some managed to escape that prevented many more

Starting point is 00:23:56 from being murdered. I am also sure that after the other children, eight of whom he had very seriously injured, managed to escape, it left him in the upstairs room and landing, where he returned to continue his sustained and brutal violence against two of the younger. of those children, stabbing them multiple times. That demonstrated how determined he was to cause the maximum suffering he could. Left alone with them where they'd fallen, he continued shocking and extreme violence. I have read each of the victim personal statements, and many have been read out to the court. They are all deeply moving. The harm that Ruder-Cabana has caused to each family, each child and to the community has been profound and permanent.

Starting point is 00:24:49 For mitigating factors, he did take into consideration that Axel committed these heinous crimes at the age of 17, even though he turned 18 in custody. This forced the judge to set a sentence less than a whole life order as defined by UK law. Axel was sentenced to 52 years in prison, with the sentence later being slightly altered to him being detained at his majesty's pleasure, a form of indeterminate sentencing in Commonwealth countries. This means that Axel cannot be considered for release until the year 277, at which point he will be 70 years old. The incident rocked the community and, indeed, the entire country.

Starting point is 00:25:27 Many politicians such as Prime Minister Kier Starrmer and Patrick Hurley spoke out in the House of Commons and visited the community. King Charles III sent condolences, along with many others of the royal family. In her first official act after being treated for cancer, the princess, along with the Prince of Wales, visited the family of the victims. A go-fund me was started for the families and the victims, eventually raising over 150,000 pounds. Flowers, stuffed animals and cards poured in from the community at the heart space. Attention was also drawn by politicians to the response from Prevent, with a public inquiry launched to find out why none of the three referrals into Axel went anywhere. One theory was that evidence of possible threats from Axel were ignored due to him having no specific ideology.

Starting point is 00:26:16 After review, changes were made to understanding indicators of radicalization where coherent ideology is not present. This will hopefully help with this kind of incident in the future. In wake of the attacks, rampant misinformation spread throughout the UK. The way Commonwealth law works, information was not released regarding Axel in the beginning, not even as His name was known to the public, and this allowed false information to spread online, speculating that he was Muslim and seeking asylum. In response to Axel's horrific actions, this resulted in large-scale protests and civil unrest around the UK. We'll touch on just a few of those here.

Starting point is 00:26:55 July 30th, a large protest group of hundreds formed outside the Southport mosque chanting phrases such as English till I die and no surrender. This escalated to protesters throwing things at police officers. riot police were brought in and shortly before midnight the scene was controlled. 27 officers were hospitalized due to injuries received that night. The next day, other protests broke out near Downing Street in London, causing the arrest of over 100 protesters. At the same day, multiple riots and protests broke out throughout the UK, often focused on areas that were allegedly housing asylum seekers or mosques.

Starting point is 00:27:31 Chants such as We Want Our Country Back could be heard. By August 3rd, counter-protesters were out in the U.K., in full force channing back. Say it loud, say it clear. Refugees are welcome here. The counter-protestors often outnumbered the protesters, which unfortunately did not stop the violence. This led to hundreds of arrests with dozens injured. Not long after on August 3rd, 2024, a woman was stabbed in Sterling, fueling further tensions and again causing speculation that the attacker was Muslim. Police in Scotland put out a public statement immediately that the attacker was a white male, This did nothing to stop misinformation.

Starting point is 00:28:09 By August 5th, the large-scale protests began to fizzle out. However, even after the immediate end of the violent protest, small-scale disruption continued. On August 6, several mass men stole a car and drove into a real estate agency after receiving false claims that they were renting to asylum seekers. Later, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a mosque in Northern Ireland, causing the largest police mobilization over a decade to be called in by the government. individuals that looked even vaguely Middle Eastern were attacked in the streets and police officers were also assaulted and their cars were vandalized. By August 8th, the majority of people showing up at planned protests were counter-protesters.

Starting point is 00:28:50 Situation didn't fully settle down until August 11th. Many people were arrested so quickly that it caused severe overcrowding at the jails, resulting in the UK government, allowing prisoners to be held at police stations until there was room for them at the prisons. This, along with the material that was found on Axel's computer, was brought up in the House of Commons as justification as to why they felt more strict rules about social media were needed, but no laws have been passed at this time. There was also discussion by Chris Phillip, the Shadow Home Secretary, that the government should have released evidence regarding Axel faster instead of at the end of trial. No changes have been suggested thus far. There was also public outrage over the fact that Axel was not sentenced to life purely because he was 17 at the time of the murders. While the Attorney General reviewed the case, the decision was made not to appeal Axel's sentence.

Starting point is 00:29:40 Could releasing Axel's identity early on have prevented all this violence from happening, or would all of this have happened regardless? I don't live there, so I'm not sure. But if you're from the UK, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. The Ruta Kubana family is still believed to be living in the UK. However, for their safety, they have withheld disclosure. His parents and brother have not given any. interviews to the press. The church Axel's parents attended put out a short statement asking for

Starting point is 00:30:09 peace and healing for all those impacted by the tragic events and decrying the fake racially motivated news that caused such violence after. Worker Jonathan Hayes, who was present during the attacks, gave several interviews, explaining how he wished he could have done more to help the children. He reports that he still suffers from flashbacks from the incident. Alice de Silva Aguars funeral was held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Southport. So many mourners attended her funeral that speakers had to be brought in to broadcast outside the church. Her uncle Richard Lira read a eulogy provided by her parents, Sergio and Alexandra. He described Alice as their perfect dream child who moved our world with confidence and empathy.

Starting point is 00:30:54 He remembered her as playful, energetic, friendly, and always so respectful. described her transition from a princess to a preteen, suddenly worried about skin care and makeup and her dream to raise her own children. A lover of animals and an environmentalist in the making. You moved our world with your confidence and empathy. Playful, energetic, friendly and always so respectful. A peacemaker of the playground. No shouting is a house rule you applied. A big task for a small girl, especially in a Portuguese household. Being around you was a privilege. We cherished every milestone. You completed us.

Starting point is 00:31:38 In nine short years, we never needed time off from you. We never gave up our time for anything that didn't involve you two. And if we did, we'd always do it separately so you could have one of us always next to you. You were born and raised into life. love, and we loved cuddling you every night for almost nine years. Apart from the sleepovers and nights away with your friends, we were never apart. You liked to sleep with mummy and daddy, enjoyed shutting the curtains and watching Disney Plus with popcorn. Our room was your comfort place.

Starting point is 00:32:17 You were our comfort and peace. As you were growing up, from a princess to a preteen, we began to notice some changes. your independence take shape, from your skincare regime to playing with makeup, to your dedication to school, to dance and to your faith. Your to-do list was extensive, and we were sure that you would achieve it, if only you had the time. We talked about which high school you might attend, about growing up, having a big house with the garden and having children. Children, we will never help you raise. It hurts.

Starting point is 00:33:01 We will never see you grow up. A day before your final struggle, Mommy kept asking if you were okay. So much so that both you and Daddy asked why. Part of me wonder if I was being too British, but ultimately, I realized I always wanted to know that you were okay. Now, Daddy feels sorry for Mommy. She has seen things.

Starting point is 00:33:34 No human should. You were taken away from us too soon and we often ask why. Why here? Why us? Why you? We wonder if you ever thought of us, called for us. We wondered if you felt any pain. We hope not, my darling.

Starting point is 00:34:08 We then question, could this have been avoided? Could we have stopped it somehow? Many questions are revolting and we will never get over this pain. But we promise to get all the answers. Mummy has seen too much and we need to know. We feel shocked and imaginable pain. We miss you.

Starting point is 00:34:33 The family expressed their gratitude for all the support they had received from the community and that they would never get over the pain of losing Alice. Ginny Payne, Alice's teacher at Churchtown Primary School, described her as cured. and detail-oriented. Alice was escorted to her final resting place in a white horse-drawn carriage and a celebration of life was held one week later. Her parents attended the service holding Alice's ballet shoes. To be like, hey guys, today is me. I got my makeup on to test my teacher. Look at this bum-buddy-door. And now, guys, but thank you for watching all

Starting point is 00:35:17 my videos, get this started, and no one knows but look at my eyeshadows. E.B. King's funeral was held on August 17th of 2024. Her parents, Lauren and Ben King, asked the public for privacy, urging mourners to light a candle in her memory instead. It described her as sweet, kind, and spirited, emphasizing that she was full of joy, light, and love. Her sister who survived the attack that day had shown incredible strength and courage. Her family thanked the community for the support they had been shown. Elsie Dot Stancombe's funeral was held on August 23rd at St. John's Church, Berkdale. Her family invited the community to attend and asked them to wear bright colors for her special day,

Starting point is 00:36:01 wanting her to have the best possible celebration. The community did all they could to help support the family with the lighthouse choir of Liverpool attending and singing songs that Elsie loved, some of them by Taylor Swift. A private service for just the family. family took place later that evening. Elsie's parents promised that Elsie's legacy will continue, and as a family, we will ensure that her impact and legacy endures with positivity and hope and with Elsie by our side forever and always. At no time has Axel Ruda Kubana shown remorse for the attacks. He is currently serving his sentence at His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, also known as Britain's

Starting point is 00:36:44 Guantanamo Bay. He's being held at the facility with the likes of Grindr Killer Stephen Port and the UK's most hated father, Irfan Sharif. Axel had better hope for his own sake that no one gets a hold of a tuna can lid.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Axel Rudakubana

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