Killer 'specifically targeted girls and women'

MURDEROUS Axel Rudakubana specifically targeted women and girls, an inquiry was told yesterday.

- By Eleanor Barlow

The hearing was shown a pink-coloured advert that described their Southport yoga and dance class as "bound to appeal more to girls than boys". Rudakubana, 17, killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Knife

As the class made friendship bracelets, he entered The Hart Space venue in the Merseyside resort and stabbed children with a kitchen knife at midday on July 29 last year.

Rudakubana also tried to kill eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the Liverpool inquiry, said that apart from Mr Hayes it was a "notable feature" that all the other victims were female.