Rudakubana is serving a 52-year sentence after the fatal stabbing of three girls, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, in July 2024. The killer, who was 17 at the time of the attack, pleaded guilty to killing Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Rudakubana, now 19, was transferred from the Category A prison Belmarsh to Broadmoor high-security hospital on Thursday in a move that does not change his sentence, the Ministry of Justice said. The lawyer representing the families of the three girls, Chris Walker of Bond Turner, said that while the news would "devastate them at any time", it comes ahead of the second anniversary of the attack next Wednesday. He said: "The three families we represent have been made aware of this development in the last 48 hours and it is safe to say that whilst this news would devastate them at any time, the fact that this has occurred as we approach the second anniversary in our view is another move by AR [Axel Rudakubana] who would appear to be attempting, once again, to manipulate the system. "We have been given the barest of details and whilst we are supporting the families through this, we are urgently seeking a meeting with the appropriate authorities to understand the situation before commenting further." Read more from Sky News:US imposes new tariffs on 60 countries - including UKGirl becomes first in UK to receive sight-saving gene therapy Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the POA union, which represents prison, correctional, and secure psychiatric workers, echoed the family's sentiments. He said: "This vile offender has played the system and will now enjoy the freedoms that are afforded mentally unwell patients in secure psychiatric hospitals, including benefits that law abiding tax payers will fund. "My members will be placed at risk without the protections afforded to staff in prisons because he is now classed as a patient. "He should spend his entire sentence in a prison in solitary confinement. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those affected by his heinous crimes." Sally Jameson, a junior housing minister and former prison officer, said Rudakubana would be returned to prison "as soon as possible". Asked about the suggestion of him receiving benefits after the hospital move, she told LBC: "It's not right, I sincerely hope that he won't be qualifying for benefits." She said prison hospitals are "not like ordinary hospitals", adding: "He will be kept under very stringent conditions, befitting actually to his crime, but also the level of security that needs to be put around him. "And I'm confident that he will be returned to prison as soon as possible and serve out his sentence. "And I agree that should be under the most punitive and solitary conditions." Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, is now calling for Rudakubana to be returned to prison. He said: "Axel Rudakubana has been moved from prison to a psychiatric hospital where he will be treated as a patient, not a prisoner. "During the trial, his own defence lawyer did not submit a psychiatric report. This outrageous decision must be reversed." Offenders presenting an increased risk who cannot be managed in a prison environment because of mental orders can be moved to secure psychiatric units, where they are treated as patients rather than prisoners. It comes after Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer with boiling water using a kettle in his cell at HMP Belmarsh in May last year. Broadmoor, in Berkshire, is the oldest of England's three high-security hospitals and has held some of the UK's most high-profile criminals, including Ronnie Kray and serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper. It is one of the UK's most secure psychiatric facilities and Rudakubana will remain under constant supervision. Under the Mental Health Act, officials acting for the justice secretary have no choice but to accept the advice of clinical professionals to transfer prisoners to a secure facility. An offender in a secure hospital will be compelled to engage with treatment and to undertake therapies before any return to prison or release into the community. When offenders no longer require treatment in hospital, the Mental Health Act allows a swift return to prison.

The US musician faced an allegation he attacked a former friend at the Tape club in Mayfair in 2023. The 37-year-old previously denied allegations of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Abraham Diaw, along with two charges of possessing an offensive weapon - a bottle - in a public place and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. At Southwark Crown Court on Friday, prosecutors dropped these charges, and the R&B singer admitted an additional charge of affray. Brown, from California, USA, was charged along with his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 40, who had also denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm and has now pleaded guilty to affray. Prosecutors said Brown approached the victim from the dancefloor and after moving through the crowd, "struck him twice over the head with a glass bottle". The fight was caught on a surveillance camera in front of the club, prosecutors said. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) added that Akinlolu, of Florida, USA, "quickly joined Brown and punched the victim to the head". The CPS said the pair "continued their assault whilst the victim attempted to flee through the club" and "the victim was kicked while he was seated defenceless on the floor". The victim was taken to St Mary's Hospital with head and knee injuries. Following the attack, police discovered Brown and Akinlolu had left the UK and a warrant was issued for their arrest. Brown returned to the UK over two years after the incident for a concert in Manchester as part of his world tour and was arrested on 15 May last year. During the brief court hearing on Friday, prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC applied for an extra charge of affray to be added to the indictment, saying this had been accepted by all parties. Brown arrived at court wearing a tan suit, gold-rimmed sunglasses, a St Louis Cardinals baseball hat, and flanked by security guards. He waved to fans who were playing his music and shouting his name, with one saying "I love you Chris". He was previously ordered to pay a £5 million security fee as part of his bail conditions and allowed to go on a world tour, as long as he surrendered his passport on arrival in each country. Detective Constable Zara Ripamonti, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "This was a disgraceful, unprovoked assault that put a man in hospital. Read more from Sky News:Car bomb near Irish borderHeat health alerts in place "There is no place for serious violence like this in London and I'm pleased these men accepted what they did wasn't just completely unacceptable - but criminal. "This has been a long investigation and we've worked with police colleagues in the UK to bring these two men to justice." Both Brown and Akinlolu were bailed to be sentenced on October 26 at Southwark Crown Court. Claire Campbell, senior crown prosecutor in CPS London South said after the hearing: "This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable. No one is above the law." Brown initially became famous as a teenager in 2005 and has won two Grammys for best R&B album, one for F.A.M.E. in 2011 and another for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to beating his ex-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. He admitted one count of felony assault relating to an incident that occurred hours before they were due to perform at the Grammy Awards.

Baroness Ruth Davidson, a Tory, had slightly harsher words - branding Sir Keir Starmer's former lieutenant Darren Jones "bitter". Mr Jones was chief secretary to the prime minister under Sir Keir before leaving government with the ex-PM. Politics live: Follow the latest updates here After Mr Burnham announced he was scrapping the government's digital ID scheme to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on cutting energy bills, Mr Jones posted on social media that the ID policy was not costed and so there was no money yet to save. It crystallised criticism that Mr Burnham is pledging money to policies that sound popular, but he does not actually have any plans for funding them. On the divisions within the Labour Party, Baroness Harman said: "[Burnham]'s also got to build bridges with the people for whom there has not been space in the cabinet, but are still members of parliament, have still got all the attributes and interests that they have, and that is perfectly possible. "So as well as encouraging and supporting his current cabinet, with the work that they're going to take forward, he's got to talk to the people who are in the previous cabinet who've got expertise - and wisdom - they could feed in. "He's got to be talking to them as well as talking to his current cabinet ministers. And if he does that, I think that he can build bridges." She added that Mr Jones should be invited in by Mr Burnham and consulted as a "repository of a lot of wisdom and expertise". Read more:What Burnham means for your payslipHow pubs will save money from Burnham's tax cuts Baroness Davidson, however, was more cynical. " Can I offer a different idea here, which is that Darren Jones knew exactly what he was doing when he sunk the first policy announcement of the new prime minister," she said. Baroness Davidson added that Jones was "bitter" and "needs to be told that that's not how you behave".

Leclerc outpaced Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton by half a second in a flying start to the Hungaroring weekend for the Monegasque driver with a best lap of 1:19.075. But Leclerc's session ended seven minutes early when he had to stop at the top of the pit lane after reporting that "something broke" on his SF-26 car. Ferrari have not yet confirmed what went wrong. Hungarian GP: UK schedule and how to watch on Sky SportsF1 2026 standings | F1 2026 Calendar | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Aston Martin, meanwhile, revealed 16 separate aerodynamic updates on their AMR26 car ahead of the session in the team's long-awaited first upgrade of a season which has hitherto seen them run at the back of the field. But Stroll's session lasted just 11 laps after a suspected rear suspension failure pitched him off the road in a high-speed spin coming out of Turn Two. The Canadian's car avoided contact with the barriers, but the team will now make the necessary repairs, and conduct investigations into what exactly went wrong, ahead of second practice at 4pm. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, was, however, able to complete the session without apparent problem in the sister car, racking up 20 laps and finishing a promising 13th fastest. That was 2.4 seconds behind Leclerc's pace but Aston Martin's deficit to the front has regularly been between three and four seconds in qualifying at recent events amid a lack of updates. George Russell was fifth fastest, almost a second slower than Leclerc, in a session world championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli sat out so Mercedes could give another P1 outing to third driver Fred Vesti as part of the mandatory young driver requirements all teams must fulfil on four Fridays each season. Vesti was seventh fastest, 0.4s away from Russell. Of the other rookies in action, reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli was 16th fastest in Oscar Piastri's McLaren, Ryo Hirakawa 17th in Oliver Bearman's Haas, Paul Aron 19th in Franco Colapinto's Alpine and Colton Herta 20th in Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac. Isack Hadjar finished fourth quickest in the second Red Bull ahead of Russell and Audi's in-form Gabriel Bortoleto. Verstappen and Williams' Carlos Sainz must head to the stewards after the session, with both drivers charged with driving erratically following an incident early in the session. Sainz initially got in Verstappen's way into Turn 12 before the Red Bull driver then seemed to slow in turn in front of the Williams once ahead through the corner. Sainz will also be quizzed by the stewards about a second alleged incident of erratic driving later in the session involving Alpine rookie Aron at Turn Nine. The Williams driver was slowest of all in an opening session which also included a huge lock-up into the first corner. A host of the drivers ran wide there to a greater or lesser extent during the hour, including Russell and Verstappen. Sky Sports F1's Hungarian GP schedule Friday July 243.45pm: Hungarian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)5.15pm: The F1 Show Saturday July 259am: F3 Sprint11.15am: Hungarian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)1.10pm: F2 Sprint*2.15pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying build-up*3pm: HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING*5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook* Sunday July 267.35am: F3 Feature Race9.05am: Porsche Supercup10.20am: F2 Feature Race12.30pm: Hungarian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*2pm: THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX*4pm: Hungarian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*5pm: Ted's Notebook* *Also on Sky Sports Main Event Formula 1 heads straight to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix with every session live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

Merseyside Police were called at 2am to reports that a black Seat Cupra had hit a lamppost on Liverpool Road in Huyton. Emergency services attended, but the four men, two aged 23 while the others were 24 and 26, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their next of kin have been informed. A 27-year-old man who was a passenger inside the car has been taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition. A temporary flight restriction zone, banning drones, was put in place above the scene, with offenders warned they could face prosecution and have their equipment confiscated. A police cordon was put in place "as part of the initial stages of the investigation", Merseyside Police said, while several nearby roads have been closed and are likely to remain closed over the weekend. Read more:Southport killer 'manipulated system'Sperm whale sleeping explained Superintendent Paul Holden said the bereaved families have been informed and are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers. Superintendent Holden urged anyone with information, including doorbell camera footage of the Cupra or the incident itself, to contact police. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

The British-Indian author told jurors about the moment he was attacked by Hadi Matar, 28, who is facing terrorism charges after being found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison last year. It was the second time Rushdie described the incident in court, after giving evidence against Matar - who has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges - during the 2025 trial. The 79-year-old was blinded in one eye, suffered a severely damaged hand, and spent months recovering following the incident, which took place while the award-winning writer was on stage at an event in New York in 2022. Rushdie, who spent most of the 1990s in hiding in the UK after receiving death threats over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, was stabbed about 15 times. On Thursday, he told the court in Buffalo, New York, he recalled feeling what he thought was a punch under his chin, then feeling blood coming from his neck. He said: "I was on the stage, lying down, with an enormous pool of blood all around me. "It was an enormous and expansive lake of blood." Rushdie, who at one point removed his glasses to show his now sightless right eye, said knife came "a millimetre from my brain". Read more from Sky News:Follow: Iran war latestUS imposes new tariffs on 60 countries Defendant faces potential life sentence Matar faces a potential life sentence if convicted of federal charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. However, his defence has argued that his intent or mindset at the time of the attack cannot be proved - a key element in the prosecutors' claim that it was an act of terrorism motivated by an allegiance to Iran's government. In 1989, Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa - or religious edict - calling for Rushdie to be killed over The Satanic Verses, which which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Iran's government has denied involvement in the 2022 stabbing, but the country's then foreign ministry spokesperson suggested Rushdie invited trouble by insulting Islam. Asked in court if he had anticipated blowback from the book, Rushdie said "probably, but I don't believe the book to be on trial here. I believe someone else is on trial" - a comment the judge struck from the court transcript.

In appointing his new cabinet Andy Burnham has removed many of Keir Starmer's faithfuls, including previously key figures like Rachel Reeves and Darren Jones. And critics feel "traitors" who had tried to destabilise the recently departed PM are being rewarded for their disloyalty. Former Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, called for Starmer to go back in February. Now he's off to the Lords for a ministerial job under Burnham. At the Electoral Dysfunction Round Table, Beth Rigby asks Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson how Burnham can deal with the bad blood his choices have created. Harriet wants him to "build bridges" with those he ousted. We also have lots of questions from Dysfunctioners about a big political week. We'll be back on Tuesday for our Sky News Insider subscribers - find out how to subscribe here: https://skynews.com/electoraldysfunction Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk. Sky News Insider requires a paid subscription and is available to UK listeners aged 18 and over.

Litter beat Rock 16-7 as he looks to become the first person to go back-to-back at this tournament since Michael van Gerwen a decade ago. In what is turning into a tournament for the record books, Littler's stats impressed once again. He posted a 109.57 average with 17 180s and a 53 per cent success rate on the doubles. World Matchplay Day Six: As it happened!Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results 📅Got Sky? Watch on the Sky Sports app 📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW 📺 "Another brilliant game for myself. I've gone 109, 113, 109 again [averages] so I've just got to keep it going," Littler told Sky Sports. "Fair play to Josh. He gave me a really good game there. I think it was the third session where I won all five legs. "I kind of got myself into that lead and I just had to stay there and got the job done." Littler and Rock met at the semi-final stage of this tournament just one year ago when Littler won an 18-15 epic, hitting a nine-darter on way. However after a close opening 10 legs to get Thursday's match going, it was all Littler as he romped into another semi-final. Rock was in the zone early in the contest and matched every break of throw that was thrown at him, a 129 checkout from 'The Nuke' a highlight as the pair of young stars looked in a real battle at 5-5. However, as is now customary from Littler, he took control in second session to reel off five legs in a row. Remarkably, Rock did not get a dart at double in that period. He increased that dominance to seven legs in a row before Rock could stop the onslaught. Two holds of throw were all that the Northern Irishman managed as he sat 13-6 behind. The final blow then came in the 23rd leg when the 19-year-old broke Rock's throw again as he cleaned up 44. With that, the defending champion came to hold his throw and with his third match dart, took his favourite D10. Van Duijvenbode holds on after Anderson rally Van Duijvenbode held off a phenomenal fightback from Anderson in a 16-13 thriller to book a spot in the semi-finals in Blackpool for the first time in his career. The Dutchman was 15-8 ahead, just one from victory, when Anderson roared back and averaged over 114 to take five legs in a row including a massive 154 checkout. It looked like he simply was going to pull off a miracle. However, just when he needed it, Van Duijvenbode found his form to pin D10 for a massive win. "To be fair the break couldn't come at a worse moment. You just know Gary loves the game. He never gives up," Van Duijvenbode told Sky Sports. "He's probably the best in the world when he hits the trebles. "I expected [the 154]. He didn't miss, but I always think my opponent will hit it." The Dutchman added: "At some point I felt nerves in my stomach." The opening session went the way of Van Duijvenbode, with the Dutchman finding two breaks of throw and finishing off the five legs with a 107 checkout to romp into a 4-1 lead. The second session was similar to the first and when Van Duijvenbode found another break of throw and followed it with a clutch 112 checkout, it was looking ominous for Anderson with his opponent 8-3 ahead. Anderson had work to do and he got going by taking out three legs on the spin, including a clutch bullseye finish for 84, to get back into the contest. Van Duijvenbode stopped the rot with a hold of throw but had been reeled back into a contest at 9-6. That was until Van Duijvenbode came back out on fire while the Flying Scotsman fell away in the next session with the Dutchman taking all five legs. Anderson's throw was broken three times with a miracle looking the only option for the former world champion as he sat 14-6 behind. And so nearly did a miracle occur. Anderson showed just he is one of the greats of the game, but Van Duijvenbode found the singular moment he needed to finally get over the line. What is happening on Friday at the World Matchplay Darts? The quarter-finals continue on Friday at the World Matchplay, live from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Action. Gian van Veen and James Wade will do battle in the quarter-finals for a second year in a row, with the world No 3 looking to avenge his loss to 'The Machine' in 2025. Then, Gerwyn Price faces Ross Smith. Smith is through to the quarter-finals after Cameron Menzies withdrew from their second round match in the fourth leg due to illness. Who will win this year's World Matchplay Darts? Luke Littler will be defending his title and you can watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.