Axel Rudakubana, the British teenager who brutally killed three young girls in a shocking knife attack last July on Thursday (Jan 23) was sentenced to life in prison. Rudakubana, now 18, received 13 life terms for three murders and 10 attempted murders, with a minimum of 52 years to be served before he is eligible for parole. A 'mass murder' of innocents During the sentencing hearing, Judge Julian Goose described Rudakubana's 15-minute rampage as a "mass murder of innocent, happy young girls". If he had not been stopped, "he would have killed each and every child -- all 26 of them," the judge said. Axel Rudakubana's horrific attack on dance class The attack occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, a coastal town in northwestern England. During the trial, Prosecutor Deanna Heer recounted horrific details of how Rudakubana, armed with a 20-centimetre-long (eight-inch)kitchen knife, burst into the studio where girls were sitting on the floor, making bracelets and listening to Swift's music. "Within 30 seconds, screams can be heard coming from within, followed by children fleeing from the building," Heer said. Stabbing the children indiscriminately, Rudakubana killed six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. In the attack, six-year-old Bebe suffered 122 stab wounds, while another victim was stabbed 85 times, revealed the judge. After the attack, Rudakubana, then 17, was heard saying: "I'm glad they're dead," Heer told the court. The emotional toll of the tragedy was palpable in the courtroom. Families of the victims wept as details of the attack were recounted in court. Aguiar's parents described their daughter as their "dream girl," who was cruelly taken away, while Stancombe's mother called Rudakubana a "coward" whose actions were "cruel and evil". One 14-year-old survivor described the attack as a "living nightmare," and addressing the attacker said, "The thing I remember most about you (Rudakubana) is your eyes. You didn't look human, you looked possessed." Class instructor Leanne Lucas, who was injured during the attack, shared how her trauma has left her unable to work or feel safe. "He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey," she said. Despite Axel Rudakubana's guilty pleas to murder, attempted murder, and other charges—including possession of a biological toxin and extremist materials—the attack has not been classified as terrorism. A public inquiry will examine how law enforcement and welfare services failed to identify the risks he posed.