Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, was to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday charged with 16 offences, including three counts of murder.

Axel Rudakubana also admitted attempting to murder 10 other people at a Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport, England, last July, and to the production of ricin, a toxin.

Axel Rudakubana has refused to speak while in court, having even opted not to speak to his own solicitors while appearing at the stand in Liverpool Crown Court today

The 18-year-old was expelled over claims he was carrying a knife, and he later returned to attack someone with a hockey stick.

Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. On the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Rudakubana, 18, also pleaded guilty to the production of ricin and to possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual.

He was excluded from his secondary school for an incident involving a hockey stick, the PA news agency understands.

The 18-year-old accused of killing three girls at a Southport dance class dramatically admitted the attack on the first day of his trial. Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, stood on trial at Liverpool Crown Court.