Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana due in court today to plead on three child murder charges and trying to kill eight other children and two adults

The 18-year-old accused of killing three children in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class is due to appear in court.

Axel Rudakubana, of Banks in Lancashire, is charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, six-year-old Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

They died following the stabbings at The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside, shortly before midday on July 29.

He is due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing this afternoon.

The teenager is charged with the attempted murder of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. He is also charged with possession of a knife.

Rudakubana appeared last month at Westminster Magistrates' Court to face additional charges of production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism .

The matters are expected to be linked up at today's hearing, where Rudakubana is due to appear by video link.

The killings on July 29 sparked large scale riots, fuelled by misinformation on social media, in towns and cities across the UK.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and moved to the Southport area in 2013. He was living in Banks, Lancashire, at the time of the attack.

The three girls who died had been attending the summer holiday club at the Hart Space Community Centre, in Southport, when they were stabbed on July 29 .

Eight other children and two adults were also seriously injured.

A sea of teddies, balloons and flowers was left outside Southport Town Hall in tribute to the children in the immediate aftermath.

Serena Kennedy, the Chief Constable of Merseyside police, announced on October 29 that the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised them to charge Rudakubana with manufacturing the biological toxin ricin and having a study of a terrorist manual – namely Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.

Ms Kennedy stressed that the risk to the public and emergency services who responded to the attack on July 29 was 'low or very low' and that no one had been contaminated or harmed as a consequence.

She also said that, although Rudakubana has been charged with offences under both the Biological Weapons and Terrorism Act, the incident had not been declared terror-related.

At this time counter terror policing have not declared the events of July 29 a terrorist incident,' she said. 'I recognise these new charges may lead to speculation.

'The method by which Axel Rudakubana has been charged under the Terror Act does not require motive to be established.'

She urged people against speculating about any motives online and on social media, adding that the suspect had a 'right to a fair trial'.

She said: 'Following the events of Monday 29 July, searches of Axel Rudakubana's home address resulted in an unknown substance being found – testing confirmed the substance was ricin.

'We have worked extensively with partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public – and I want to make that reassurance clear today. I can also tell you that there was no ricin present at Hart Street.'

She added: 'My plea is to be patient, don't engage in rumour and speculation and don't believe everything you read on social media.

'We must not lose sight of the families of Elsie, Bebe, and Alice, who are still grieving, and the families of those children and adults who were injured and affected by what happened on that day.

'We all need to do the right thing by them to ensure the justice process is not prejudiced.'

Rudakubana appeared in court on October 30 charged with a terror offence and making poison.

He refused to answer questions and held a sweater over the bottom half of his face during the hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.