Since he was arrested for killing three girls at a dance class in Southport, evil has not shown a single shred of remorse.

Today the sadistic teen has been sentenced to life in jail and was told he will spend a minimum of 52 years behind bars - and likely the rest of his life in jail - for the killings of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven for what the judge Mr Justice Goose called "the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime".

On July 29 last year, the 18-year-old took a taxi to The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside, where a dance class was taking place. Once inside, he launched a ferocious attack, taking the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Rudakubana later pleaded guilty to killing the young girls as well as the attempted murders of yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman Jonathan Hayes, 63, who were critically injured in their fight to save the children and eight more girls, aged between 7 and 11. He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today by Mr Justice Goose, who said "He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody".

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The killer, who has no obvious evidence of disorder, has shown no remorse since his arrest, refusing to speak at any of the hearings ahead of his trial. He then admitted all 16 charges against him on day one of the trial, which included possessing a knife, possessing terrorist material and producing ricin, a deadly poison.

But in a final act of cruelty - showing his complete lack of remorse and respect for grieving families - Rudakubana refused to stand to deliver his guilty pleas. He also refused to speak his name.

As he was 17 when he carried out the murders, the knifeman was not handed a whole life order for his horrific crimes. It is understood judges can only impose a whole life order on criminals who were aged 21 and over at the time of the offence, with the punishment only considered for those aged 18 to 20 in exceptional circumstances.

After Rudakubana's arrest, it emerged he had been reported to the government's Prevent Counter scheme at least three times. It was also reported that the killer was expelled when he was 13 for bringing a knife into Range High School in Formby and then attacking pupils with a hockey stick.

The killer was born the youngest of two children to a "hardworking" father and stay-at-home mother in Cardiff in 2006. The family relocated to Lancashire in 2013, becoming valued members of the local community and regularly attending church. Their new neighbours described autistic Rudakubana as the "quiet" one of two brothers and an "introvert".

Speaking after the attacks last year, one neighbour : "They were a lovely young couple. They were little boys, they were boisterous. Mum was a stay-at-home mum, Dad was nice, he went to work every day."