Families of murdered Southport girls 'aghast' at 'copycat' case

The families of the three girls murdered in the Southport attack have said they are "aghast" that a teenager who planned a "copycat" crime was not detained when he was sentenced last week. The boy, now 17, became obsessed with Axel Rudakubana, who killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, in July 2024. On 6 August 2025 the boy, from Kirkby in Merseyside, called police to confess he was planning an attack and asked to be arrested. The girls' families said they were "extremely alarmed" at the "parallels" between the two cases. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary said it did not comment on individual cases. The families added they would be writing to Sir Adrian Fulford, chair of the public inquiry into Rudakubana's crimes. A Home Office spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar. We also thank the police for stepping in and preventing another tragedy on this occasion. "Phase one of the Southport Inquiry is due to report next month, so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further." The details of the "copycat" case emerged as the boy was sentenced to a three-year y