The teenager accused of murdering three young girls in Southport during a stabbing spree has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is accused of murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
He is also charged with ten counts of attempted murder against eight children and two adults during the same incident, as well as possession of a knife in the incident.
Additional charges were laid after the stabbing spree, when Rudakubana was accused of possession of an Al Qaeda training manual and production of the deadly toxin ricin.
At Liverpool crown court on Wednesday, Rudakubana stayed silent as he appeared on a videolink from HMP Belmarsh.
As each charge was read to him, he swayed his head from side to side but stayed silent when asked to plead.
Mr Justice Goose said not guilty pleas would be entered as a consequence of the silence.
At times, Rudakubana appeared to slightly smile, and occasionally he turned away from the screen when distracted by a noise outside the videolink hearing room at the prison.
A trial date is set for January 20, with the case expected to last up to four weeks.
Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, has stayed silent at all previous court hearings.
The stabbings were the spark for a week-long wave of rioting and disorder that spread to towns and cities across the country, with mis-information being spread online about the identity of the suspected attacker.
He is accused of producing ricin prior to the stabbings, and possession of the alleged terror document, titled: “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” between August 21 and July 2024.
It is said he entered the school holiday dance class at a small business park in Southport shortly before midday on July 29.
He allegedly had a kitchen knife in his possession.
Rudakubana will be held in custody until the start of his trial.
