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# Teen Who Killed Three Girls at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class in U.K. Sentenced to Over 50 Years

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FXleLpQH.m3u8" -->
## Video: Teen Who Killed Three Girls at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class in U.K. Sentenced to Over 50 Years

[Watch (HLS stream): Teen Who Killed Three Girls at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class in U.K. Sentenced to Over 50 Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FXleLpQH.m3u8) (4:12)

![Teen Who Killed Three Girls at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class in U.K. Sentenced to Over 50 Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FXleLpQH/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2025-01-23. A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison._


---

Jan 23, 2025 7:20 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[Taylor Swift ‘In Shock’ After Stabbing at English Children’s Dance Class](/video/144rSIqZ/)

### Taylor Swift ‘In Shock’ After Stabbing at English Children’s Dance Class

[Taylor Swift by the Numbers](/video/me2szq4z/)

### Taylor Swift by the Numbers

[Taylor Swift on Her New Album](/video/yArO2MB3/)

### Taylor Swift on Her New Album

---


## Transcript

The prosecution have made it clear that these proceedings were not acts of terrorism within the meaning of the terrorism legislation, because there is no evidence that Rudy Cabanas purpose was to advance political, religious, racial or ideological cause. I must accept that conclusion. However, in my judgment, his culpability for this extreme level of violence is equivalent in its seriousness to terrorist murders. Whatever his purpose, whether his motivation was for terrorism or not, misses the point. What he did on the 29th of July last year has caused such shock and revulsion to the whole nation that it must be viewed as being at the very extreme level of crime.

I do not, however, take into account against him what happened in different parts of the country after his arrest. He did not cause that. Axel Rudi Cabana was born in Cardiff on the 7th of August of 2006. He's a UK citizen now aged 18, but was still 17 when he committed these offences. He was only nine days short of his 18th birthday, which has a particular significance. Had he been 18, I make it clear that I would have been compelled to impose on him life imprisonment without a minimum term. Otherwise known as a whole life term, meaning that he would never be released. However, the law does not permit such a sentence for those offenders who are under 18 when they offend for the offence of murder on counts one, two and three, the sentence must be custody for life.

I am required to fix the minimum term which he must serve in custody, before he may apply to the parole board for his release. It will be for the board to decide if he is ever safe to be released into the community, and if ever he is, he will remain on licence for the rest of his life, subject to recall into custody if he breaches his licence terms. The minimum term I will fix will be a be a very substantial one. And the very least, he will be detained, which will mean that he will serve almost the whole of his life in custody. I consider at this time that it is likely he will never be released, and that he will be in custody for all his life in mitigation for this offending.

Rudy Cabana is still only 18 years old. However, I consider that his age has already provided him with a substantial reduction in his sentence because it means that he has avoided a whole life term whilst he has entered guilty pleas. Saving the families and victims the pain of a trial, he cannot claim to have shown any remorse. His unsolicited comments in the police station made clear his feelings. However, lack of remorse is not an aggravating factor in sentencing. I will impose concurrent sentences, meaning they will all be served at the same time. However, I will treat the murder offences in counts 1 to 3 as the lead offences and take into account all of the total offending when fixing the fixing the minimum term of custody, he must serve also have in mind the totality of the sentences, requiring me to take a step back and consider whether they are just and proportionate.

And I conclude that they are. The guilty pleas will allow some small discount on the sentence, because they were entered so late on the first day of the trial. I'm now going to sentence Axel Rudi Cabana, having explained my reasons on counts 1 to 3 murder. I sentence him to custody for life with a minimum term which he must serve in custody of 52 years, less the time he has served already. He's been in custody for 175 days on remand, which will be credited. Therefore, the minimum term is 51 years and 190 days. Accordingly, in total, I sentence Rudi Cabana to 13 sentences of custody for life and a minimum term to be served in custody of 51 days and 190 days.

It is highly likely that he will never be released.

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