Rudakubana, who spent the entire 55 minutes of the hearing covering his whole face, with his grey sweatshirt pulled up to his hairline, and at times rocking back and forth and side to side, will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25.
He is charged with the attempted murder of two adults, yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, as well as the attempted murder of the eight children who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Axel Rudakubana
Court artist drawing of 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana (centre) covering his face as he appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: PA)
He is also charged with possession of a bladed article, a curved kitchen knife, the court heard. Born in
Cardiff to Rwandan parents, Rudakubana had been living in the village of Banks, just outside Southport, at the time of the attack.
He has been described as an introvert with a background in musical theatre.
Helen, a neighbour of the family while they lived there, told the
BBC of her shock, adding: âThey were a lovely young couple. They were little boys, they were boisterous. Mum was a stay-at-home mum, Dad was nice, he went to work every day. They had a small family car, a little hatchback.â
Another former neighbour of Rudakubanaâs family described him as a âquietâ boy who was clingy to his mother as a child. A 51-year-old teaching assistant who lives opposite the familyâs former home, told the Daily Telegraph: âThere were no problems while they were living here â they were a friendly couple with two little boys. I canât believe whatâs happened.â
Rudakubana would accompany his father to karate classes as a child, sensei Chico Mbakwe, an instructor in Cardiff, said. He told the PA news agency: âHe would come and do grading and his father would take him home. I canât even really remember the boy but can vaguely remember the dad. The last time I saw the father he was taking part in his grading, he wasnât my student, he was somebody elseâs."
Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar who died in the Southport stabbing (Image: PA)
The family reportedly moved to the Southport area around 2013 and lived in a semi-detached property in a quiet cul-de-sac in Banks. Neighbours have said the family are âheavily involved with the local churchâ, and that they would often hear singing from their house, the Liverpool Echo reported.
The Times reported that Rudakubana has a background in musical theatre. A friend from his musical theatre group told the newspaper he âturned up one day in class, and they said âmake him welcome, because heâs just moved from quite far away'â. He was said to have appeared in a musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.
âI think it was more him trying to branch out and meet kids in the community⌠he was enjoying it but you know, with musical theatre kids⌠theyâre very extroverted, he wasnât, he was very quiet,â the friend said. He didnât really talk about himself that much.â