Axel Rudakubana, 18, will probably never be released, a judge ruled as he condemned the “extreme violence” of his knife attack on a dance class last year.

Axel Rudakubana was expected to be sentenced to life in prison at Liverpool Crown Court for the murders of three young girls and attempted murders of eight other children in Southport in July.

The government is considering whether to challenge the prison sentence handed to Southport killer Axel Rudakubana as being “unduly lenient”. The 18-year-old was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison with a minimum term of 52 years for the murders of three girls and attempted murders of eight other children and two adults.