Axel Rudakubana, 20, is set to stand trial next year on charges of allegedly attacking a prison officer by hurling boiling water mixed with sugar.
Rudakubana is currently serving a life sentence for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in 2024.
Alleged Attack at Belmarsh Prison
It is alleged that on 8 May last year, he threw the scalding liquid through a hatch in his cell door at Belmarsh prison in south London.
On Monday, he appeared at the Old Bailey facing a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to a male prison officer. He also faces two counts of assaulting an emergency worker on 6 May and 28 October last year, as well as possession of an offensive weapon in prison on 26 June last year.
Court Appearance and Trial Date
Rudakubana appeared via videolink from Broadmoor hospital before Judge Mark Lucraft KC. Dressed in a grey and black hoodie and accompanied by three hospital staff members, the defendant spoke only to confirm his identity and was not required to enter pleas to the charges.
Judge Lucraft set a provisional two-week trial beginning 4 October next year, with a further review hearing scheduled for 5 February.
Further Allegations
It is alleged that two days prior to the hot water incident, Rudakubana threatened to "soak" a female officer outside his cell unless she handed him a newspaper, before throwing liquid at her.
Rudakubana also allegedly struck a male officer who had confronted him on 28 October. It is alleged that in June of last year, sharpened fragments of stone, believed to have been pried from the floor of his cell, were discovered concealed beneath a shelving unit.
The defendant was charged on July 28, with the case subsequently referred to the Old Bailey.
