During the trial of the case, it was revealed that two years before the attack, Rudakubana’s parents had called the police four times in six months asking for help

The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to all 16 offences he faced on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday. | ITV News Granada

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died in the attack in July last year.

The 18-year-old’s disruptions meant he was not in court as the judge handed him one of the longest minimum terms on record.

A former chairman of the Conservative Party has claimed that the beginning of Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana’s trial was scheduled on the same day as Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration as “a calculated and cynical move by the Labour Government to ‘bury bad news’ behind international headlines”.

Here is a timeline of what was known when about Southport killer Axel Rudakubana: Axel Rudakubana becomes known to a range of local agencies due to anxiety, social isolation and challenging behaviour. In October he takes a knife to school, and in December attacks another child with a hockey stick.

Judge Mr Justice Goose ordered Axel Rudakubana to be removed from the dock shortly after the start of the sentencing hearing.

Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, will stand trial charged with the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years in prison on Thursday after admitting to the murder of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Axel Rudakubana has been handed a 52 year sentence for the murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport last summer. | ITV News Granada

Rudakubana cowardly refused to come into the dock at Liverpool Crown Court when he was being sentenced by the judge

The Southport killer said 'I’m glad they’re dead' as he was held in a custody suite after killing three girls at a dance class, the court heard