Axel Rudakubana is set to face a jury charged with murder later this month in connection with the Southport stabbings
From left; Joey Barton, Axel Rudakubana and Joanne Sharkey(Image: Press Association/Elizabeth Cook/Liverpool ECHO)
While we are only a matter of hours into 2025, court cases have already been scheduled to take place well into the New Year. These include a murder trial in connection with the Southport stabbings, which is due to be held later this month.
Juries are also set to hear cases in relation to the deaths of Rikki Berry and “Baby Callum”, while a former Premier League footballer is also expected to appear in court in the spring after a social media spat with Jeremy Vine. Here are seven trials which are due to take place at Liverpool Crown Court this year:
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Axel Rudakubana
A court artist sketch of Axel Rudakubana during today’s hearing at Liverpool Crown Court(Image: PA/Elizabeth Cook)
Axel Rudakubana is due to face a trial on January 20 over the Southport stabbings, with the hearing scheduled to last up to four weeks. The 18-year-old, of Banks in West Lancashire, is accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar.
The three girls were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in the town on July 29 last year. Rudakubana is also charged with attempting to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and two adults, Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, who were stabbed during the incident.
The teenager faces another count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade. He was also charged with additional offences of production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, and possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”, in October.
Michael Smith, Connor Walsh and Adam Williams
Rikki Berry was fatally shot on Quarryside Drive in Kirkby
Three men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Rikki Berry. The 36-year-old dad, who was also known as “Nuggy” was shot dead on Quarryside Drive in Kirkby in summer last year.
Twenty-six-year-old Michael Smith, of no fixed address, Connor Walsh, also aged 26 and of Simonswood Lane in Kirkby, and 25-year-old Adam Williams, of Hamblett Crescent in St Helens, been charged with his murder and possession of a firearm, namely a self-loading pistol, with intent to endanger life. The three men deny these alleged offences and are now due to face a three-week trial, beginning on January 20.
Frederico Canuzo
Chintzia McIntyre(Image: Facebook)
Teenager Frederico Canuzo is accused of murdering his own mum. Chintzia McIntyre died aged 48 outside her home on Phoenix Place in Chapelford, Warrington, on the morning of August 29 2023 after a “serious assault”.
Canuzo was only 17 at the time of the incident, although reporting restrictions preventing him from being identified have since lapsed after he turned 18 in April 2024. He is now due to face a murder trial from January 27 onwards.
Joanne Sharkey
Joanne Sharkey outside Liverpool Crown Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Joanne Sharkey denies the murder of “Baby Callum”. The baby boy’s body was discovered in woodland close to Gulliver’s World in Warrington more than 25 years ago on March 14 1998.
He was thought to have been only hours old at the time of his death. Joanne Sharkey, of Denham Close in Croxteth, was charged with murdering the youngster and concealing the birth of a child in April 2024. The 54-year-old has pleaded not guilty to both counts and is scheduled to face a trial beginning on March 3 this year.
Baby Callum was named after the Callands area of the Cheshire town where he was found weighing only 7lb 8oz and wrapped in a black plastic bag by a dog walker close to the theme park. His death sparked an investigation which saw the DNA of nearly 500 women tested, including a number of schoolgirls.
Thousands more were interviewed as part of the probe. A funeral service was arranged by residents and attended by around 150 people, with Callum being laid to rest in a white coffin surrounded by flowers and children’s toys.
Khalid Salisu
Police were called to the scene shortly after 4.30pm(Image: Megan Banner)
Khalid Salisu has denied attempted murder after a man was repeatedly stabbed at a block of flats. The victim, aged in his 30s, was rushed to hospital after being knifed on Bedford Walk in Toxteth on November 9 2024.
Salisu has since been charged with attempting to murder Dean Levens. The 29-year-old, of Bedford Walk, has pleaded not guilty to this count and the lesser charge of wounding with intent and will face a trial in the week beginning April 28 this year.
Joey Barton
Joey Barton outside Liverpool Crown Court(Image: PA)
Former Premier League midfielder Joey Barton has been charged with malicious communications offences against broadcaster Jeremy Vine and former women’s footballers Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward. The 41-year-old, originally from Huyton, faces the charges in relation to posts directed towards the BBC star and football pundits on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
He is scheduled to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court in the week commencing May 19. Barton, who has given an address in Widnes to the court, has pleaded not guilty to the offences concerning Ms Aluko and is due to appear before the magistrates’ court at a later date over the charges relating to Mr Vine and Ms Ward.
Klevi Pirjani and Nivalda Santos Pirjani
Tributes outside a house on Percy Road in Seacombe(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A man and a woman have been charged with assaulting a baby who later died aged 12 weeks. Merseyside Police were called to a house on Percy Road in Seacombe, Wirral, at around midday on Sunday, November 24, having received reports of concerns for the safety of the child, who was found in a critical condition.
Klevi Pirjani and Nivalda Santos Pirjani, aged 36 and 33 respectively and both of Percy Road, were then charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent against the youngster, who subsequently died on the afternoon of Friday, November 29. They are due to appear before Liverpool Crown Court on January 27, with a provisional two-week trial set for May 19.