'We faced the Southport killer shoulder to shoulder'
PC Luke Holden, who arrived shortly after with PCSO Timothy Parry, said he remembered hearing his colleague's words on his radio."The way he spoke, confirming the address and the scene he faced... I could just hear sort of terror in Greg's voice," he said.Sgt Gillespie said he decided in a moment that they had to deal with whatever was happening in the building."We just knew the right thing was that we couldn't wait for armed response back-up," he said."We didn't know where they were [but] it was that urgent."Everyone now knows the sequence of events that occurred that day - that wasn't known to us at the time."He said all they knew was that a child had been stabbed and "the offender was in the building". PC Holden vividly remembers what happened next."Greg looked at me and said 'are you ready?'"He said he replied with a simple "yeah" and then the pair went "shoulder to shoulder" into the building.
'Unfathomable'
Almost immediately, they were face-to-face with 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana who, unbeknown to the officers, had walked into the studio and attacked the children who had been enjoying a school holiday Taylor Swift-themed workshop."He was showing us the knife, holding it out in front of us, blood-stained," Sgt Gillespie said."It was almost like he was saying, 'I've got a knife, what are you going to do?'" Sgt Gillespie said the youth's attitude seemed to change, as if when he saw that the officers "weren't scared of him, he didn't want to know"."It would be quite hard to paint him as more of a coward than he already is, but I think that says a lot for me," Sgt Gillespie added.
Alice Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were killed in the attack, while eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded.The 17-year-old responsible for those deaths and injuries was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years for the killings in January. The horrors of the day have inevitably left an indelible mark on the town, but its residents have united together, determined not to let the atrocity define their home.Sgt Gillespie said he had been heartened by that response."The community has come together mostly as a result of the actions of the parents of the victims who've been nothing short of inspirational," he said."As a father, the thought of something like that happening to a child and then having to get up the next morning and try to proceed with your life is unfathomable."But the three sets of parents have not only done that… they've continued the legacy of their daughters' names and they brought the community together."
All three officers were recognised at the Police Federation of England and Wales 2025 bravery awards for their actions on the day.They said the attack had changed them."It affects you in ways that you don't imagine," PC Holden said."My hyper-vigilance increased 1,000% and I was wary of everyone in every situation."You start thinking worst case of every situation you deal with."PCSO Parry said it was "quite difficult" to return to normal life, adding that trying to do activities with his own child, and seeing others of a similar age to the victims, had been "hard for me for quite some time". "Obviously, it's nothing compared to what the families involved had to go through and things, but it was a bit of a challenge."Sgt Gillespie said the events of 29 July last year had been "the toughest experience of my life, never mind my career". But, he added, compared with the families of the children killed and injured, "our pain and suffering is the tiniest drop in the largest ocean compared to theirs".
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Man, 31, arrested on suspicion of murder after quadruple stabbing that killed two men at London business
A man aged 31 has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two people were killed in a quadruple stabbing at a London business. The Metropolitan Police announced the charges faced by a man from Hackney, east London, who had initially been detained following Monday's attacks in Southwark. He remains in hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening, Scotland Yard said today. Emergency services were called to Long Lane in Bermondsey at about 1pm on Monday following reports of multiple stabbings inside a commercial address. A 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 27-year-old man later died in hospital. Two other men, both in their 30s, were also taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police said the attack was not being treated as terror-related. The stabbings are understood to have taken place near consultancy firm Prospira Global and housing provider Trademark Homes. A resident, who asked not to be named, told the PA news agency: 'It's terrifying. 'I walk past there all the time - it makes you feel really uneasy. 'You just don't expect something like this to happen on a normal weekday.' Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation. Det Chief Supt Emma Bond, who leads policing for the area, said today: 'Our thoughts are first and foremost with the family and friends of the victims of this tragic incident. 'Our investigation continues at pace and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances. 'I understand there may be concern in the local community and there will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days. I would also encourage anyone who may be worried to speak to an officer.' A crime scene remains in place and officers continue to investigate the circumstances. The stabbings are understood to have taken place near consultancy firm Prospira Global and housing provider Trademark Homes Police said they were aware of speculation the arrested man was staying at a nearby hotel but that this was not the case. Natasha Ennin, Southwark Council's cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, said she was 'horrified and deeply saddened' by the deaths in the borough. She added that her 'heartfelt condolences' went out to the families and friends of those involved and called on anyone with information to report it. Anyone with information can also call 101, report online or contact 'X'@METCC and quote CAD3499/28.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Man arrested after two killed in Southwark quadruple stabbing
The Metropolitan Police said a 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two men died following a stabbing at a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
A year after anti-immigrant riots in Britain, many worry it could happen again
The killing of three girls at a summer dance class in England a year ago Tuesday, by a teenager misidentified as a migrant, triggered days of street violence directed at newcomers and minorities. In the aftermath, communities came together to clear up the physical damage — but repairing the country's social fabric is harder. Experts and community groups warn that the mix of anger, fear, misinformation and political agitating that fueled the violence remains. In recent weeks it has bubbled over again on the streets of Epping, near London. 'Given a trigger event, none of the conditions of what happened last year have gone away,' said Sunder Katwala of British Future, a think tank that looks at issues including integration and national identity. He said there is a 'tense and quite febrile atmosphere' in some parts of the country. A solemn anniversary Three minutes of silence will be held Tuesday in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England, where the stabbing attack left three girls under 10 dead and eight children and two adults wounded. Over the following days, violence erupted in Southport and across England, driven partly by online misinformation saying the attacker was a migrant who had arrived in the U.K. by small boat. Because of British contempt of court and privacy laws, authorities were initially slow to disclose the suspect's identity: Axel Rudakubana, a British-born 17-year-old obsessed with violence. He later pleaded guilty to murder and is serving a life sentence. In the week after the attack, crowds in more than two dozen towns attacked hotels housing migrants, as well as mosques, police stations and a library. Some rioters targeted non-white people and threw bricks and fireworks at police. With a few days, larger numbers of people took to the streets to reclaim their communities, sweeping up broken glass and sending a message of welcome to newcomers. Tinderbox Britain A year on, the sight of migrants crossing the English Channel in dinghies — more than 22,000 so far this year — provides a focus for those concerned about the impact of immigration. Those concerns are often amplified by online rumor, scapegoating and misinformation, some of it deliberate. Add a sluggish economy, high housing costs, frayed public services and widespread distrust in politicians, and Britain, in the view of many commentators, has become a 'tinderbox.' Nigel Farage, leader of hard-right political party Reform UK, said last week that the country is close to 'civil disobedience on a vast scale.' The left-of-center Labour government agrees there is a problem. At a Cabinet meeting last week, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner noted that 17 of the 18 places that saw the worst disorder last year were among the most deprived in the country. She said that Britain is 'a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country,' but the government must show it has 'a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish.' The government has pledged to stop migrants trying to reach Britain across the Channel and to end the practice of lodging asylum-seekers in hotels, which have become flashpoints for tension. Critics say the government risks legitimizing protesters who in many cases are driven by intolerance and want to drive immigrants from their homes. In Ballymena, Northern Ireland, last month, rioters threw bricks, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks and firebombed immigrants' houses after two Romanian-speaking 14-year-old boys were charged with sexual assault. Hundreds of people have protested this month outside a hotel housing asylum-seekers in Epping, a town on the edge of London, after a recently arrived migrant from Ethiopia was charged with sexual assault. He denies the charge. Scattered protests Protesters in Epping and a handful of other communities this summer have included local people, but also members of organized far-right groups who hope to capitalize on discord. Tiff Lynch, who heads the Police Federation officers union, wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the Epping disorder was 'a reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it.' Learning from last summer's violence, where the police and courts responded quickly to detain and charge hundreds of suspects, police have charged more than a dozen people over violence in Epping. A protest and antiracist counter-demonstration in the town on the weekend were peaceful. The online realm is harder to police. The British government, like others around the world, has struggled with how to stop toxic content on sites including X. Under the ownership of self-styled free-speech champion Elon Musk, X has gutted teams that once fought misinformation and restored the accounts of banned conspiracy theories and extremists. The government has cited the amount of time people spend alone online as a factor behind polarization and fraying social bonds. Grounds for optimism Families of the three girls who died in Southport — Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and 6-year-old Bebe King — have called for quiet and respectful commemorations. Local authorities have asked people not to lay flowers, but to consider donating to causes set up in the victim's memories. The team behind Elsie's Story, a children's charity set up by Stancombe's family, posted on Instagram: 'Our girls, our town, will not be remembered for the events of that day, but for everything we are building together.' Katwala said that despite a 'sense of disconnection and frustration at national politics and national institutions,' there are grounds for optimism. 'Britain is less heated and less polarized than the United States, by quite a long way,' he said. 'People's interpersonal trust remains quite high. Seven out of 10 people think their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well. They're just worried about the state of the nation.'
