A security guard who was with the defendant at Belmarsh Prison, where he was held, told the court that the defendant preferred not to speak.

Defense lawyer Stan Reiz KC said: “Mr Rudakubana had also remained silent in previous hearings”, adding that he “chose not to answer the question for his own reasons”.

Mr Rudukabana, from the Lancashire village of Banks, is accused of murdering six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar after the attacks in Southport on July 29.

He also faces ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a knife after the stabbing.

Eight of the alleged attempted murders involved attacks on children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while the final two allegations relate to alleged attacks on yoga teacher Leanne Lucas and another adult, John Hayes.