'What punishment is enough?' Andrew Marr reflects on 52-year sentence of 'girl hating sadist' Axel Rudakubana
23 January 2025, 18:43 | Updated: 23 January 2025, 23:10
Andrew Marr's sobering Southport monologue
The Southport attack is one of those moments when many of us, "however gentle, however timidly liberal, question our own thinking about justice and retribution", Andrew Marr has said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Speaking at the start of Tonight with Andrew Marr, he said: "Tonight, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, described it as one of the most harrowing moments in our country's history.
"The killer, a girl-hating sadist, squirmed, screamed and tried to disrupt the court.
"I won’t say his name, but in the end he was sentenced to 52 years in prison which means that he goes in as a teenager and leaves as an old man having lived, we must assume, a bleak and at times scary existence.
"If he ever comes out. The judge said that it was likely he will never be released. So has justice been done?
"The Southport MP Patrick Hurley says the sentence is not severe enough.
"All my life, I have been against the death penalty for the simple reason that the state makes mistakes and that therefore the state will kill people by mistake - and that feels to me intolerable.
"But this character and his obscene, cowardly behaviour makes my head spin.
"What punishment would be appropriate? What punishment would be enough?
"I think we can guess what would happen to him if he was turned out onto a public street anywhere in Britain.
"But what are the options for a justice system which wants to reflect a public so revolted, so outraged?
'Unimaginable pain and heartbreak'
"This is a statement from the family of the children 'F' and 'T' - siblings who both survived this brutal attack:
"Today our family welcome the sentence imposed on that monster, however nothing will ever reverse the heartbreaking events of that day.
"Our children have been exposed to scenes that no one should ever see and caused unimaginable pain and heartache for us all.
"Alice, Bebe, Elsie and their families remain in our thoughts always."
"And they then go on to thank the first responders who attended the scene, because it really is hard to fathom what it would have been like for those brave men and women confronted with such horror on that awful day.
