Southport murder suspect appeared in BBC Children in Need video

Axel Rudakubana starred in fundraising clip at age 11 dressed as Doctor Who

The 17-year-old accused of murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport appeared in a BBC Children in Need video, it can be revealed.
Axel Rudakubana, who is alleged to have carried out the knife attack on Monday, dressed as Doctor Who in the 2018 fundraising clip.
In the video, the then 11-year-old starred alongside four child actors dressed as other incarnations of the Doctor.
It comes after The Telegraph revealed Rudakubana had taken part in a West End show alongside dozens of other performance group members.
A BBC source told MailOnline: “Children in Need has no relationship to Axel Rudakubana. The individual was contracted by the BBC for the campaign video through a casting agency in 2018 and has never had an affiliation with any of our funded projects.”
Appearing in the 45-second clip, the 11-year-old tells viewers: “It’s that time of year again,” before advising on the best ways to raise money for Children in Need.
He says “You can run from John O’Groats to Land’s End” in the promo that is thought to have been shot on location in Blackpool in early 2018.
At the time, Me Rudakubana had worked with Ology Kids Casting based in Ormskirk, Lancashire, close to Southport, it is reported.
The agency has since deleted a series of Facebook posts about Axel’s acting career, including one that read: “Look out for Ology superstar Axel in the new promo for Children In Need!!”
A BBC Children in Need spokesman told MailOnline: “Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone impacted by this shocking case, and we have removed the video from all of our platforms out of respect to them.”
Mr Rudakabana is charged with the murders of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
He is also charged with the attempted murder of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and with possession of a knife.
Mr Rudakubana, who spent the entire 55 minutes of the hearing covering his face, with his grey sweatshirt pulled up to his hairline, rocking back and forth and side to side at times, will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Oct 25.
A provisional date for a trial, lasting six weeks, was scheduled for Jan 20 next year.
Ology Kids Casting was contacted for comment.