Claims about the Southport trial’s timing are misleading and unfounded
Southport: So, there’s been some chatter about the trial of Axel Rudakubana starting on the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration. A former Conservative Party chairman even said it was a sneaky move by the Labour Government to distract from bad news. Sounds a bit fishy, right?
People have been buzzing on social media about this timing, but here’s the scoop: it’s not true. The trial date was set by the courts, not the government, and it was actually scheduled months before the election.
The judge, Andrew Menary KC, set the trial for January 20, 2025, during a hearing back in August 2024. That’s way before the US election on November 5. Plus, inauguration day is always January 20, so it’s just a coincidence.
When the trial date was set, no one knew Trump would win. The courts handle trial schedules, and the government doesn’t have a say in it. If a defendant pleads not guilty, the court arranges a trial to sort things out.
Rudakubana entered not guilty pleas in December 2024, and the trial was expected to last a few weeks. But guess what? He pleaded guilty on January 20, so the trial didn’t even happen as planned.
