Latest news with #July29
The Sun
09-07-2025
- The Sun
Girl injured in Southport attack asks ‘how will I be normal again?' as parents reveal torment at inquiry into tragedy
A YOUNG girl injured in the Southport attack still asks "how will I ever be normal again", her heartbroken mum told a public inquiry today. Triple killer Axel Rudakubana launched into a savage knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class last summer. 5 5 The 18-year-old murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and injured other children in the horror. A public inquiry will now look at whether the attack could or should have been prevented given what was known about the killer. Today, the parents of children injured in the July 29 massacre opened up on their torment almost a year on. One mum whose daughter was attacked said her daughter became "very withdrawn, emotional and had so many worries" after witnessing the horror. She asks still: "How will I ever be normal again?" Her mum said arriving to collect her daughter on that day and seeing screaming children from the building was "the most horrific experience of my life". She told how the girl, referred to only as Child Q, is now anxious about not being with her parents and is still scared when she hears a siren. She continued: "She is still unable to sleep alone and struggles with falling asleep. She always asks for doors to be closed when we enter or leave a room, this helps her to feel safe. "Changes have also been made at school; she now sits where she can see the door so she can always be aware of who is entering the classroom. "On a few occasions she has been unable to attend school due to her anxiety, explaining this as her tummy feels funny and hiding under the dining table at home.' The dad of one of the girls, named as C3, told Liverpool Town Hall it was "patently clear that lessons need to be learned from what happened, and processes need to be changed". 5 5 5 Sitting beside the girl's mother in the witness box, he said: "Our nine-year-old daughter was stabbed three times in the back by a coward she didn't even see. "Although she didn't know what was happening - she knew she had to run." Describing his daughter as his "hero", the father said she remained "the positive, caring, funny, enthusiastic, courageous girl she always was". He said: "She wears her scars with a dignity and defiance that is remarkable." One mum, whose seven-year-old daughter C8 was injured, said she was at work when she received a "panicked phone call" from her friend's mum. She told how she rushed to the scene and saw "something no parent should ever see". The mum said her daughter, who suffered injuries to her arm and face, could not be left alone any more and only felt safe with a small number of people. She continued: "I am grateful beyond words that she survived. But what she went through, what she saw and what she continues to carry has changed everything." Another mum sobbed as she told how her daughter and the girls involved deserve the truth, accountability, an apology and the promise changes will be made. She revealed she is "terrified" for her daughter to learn what the inquiry finds as it will be "earth-shattering for her and we will have to begin her recovery again". The mum added: "We are trying to shield her as much as possible whilst we understand this ourselves. "She has every right to ask these questions. This inquiry must answer them." Retired senior judge Sir Adrian Fulford is leading the review, which has now been formally postponed until September. He has made the decision not to name the killer and instead refer to him as AR. In his opening statement, the chairman said Rudakubana's actions were 'almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated'. The inquiry has been split into two phases, with the first focusing on the circumstances leading to the attack and AR's contact with Prevent. Sir Adrian will now examine how young people are "drawn into extreme violence" during the second phase. Following the horror, it emerged the killer had a "sickening interest in death" and had made chilling searches for school massacres before carrying out the rampage. His morbid fascination saw him flagged three times to anti-terror programme Prevent but no further action was taken. What happened in Southport? THE horror unfolded last summer as 26 excited children gathered for the dance class to kick off the summer holidays. The two-hour event had been organised by instructors Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle at The Hart Space. Just three miles away, Rudakubana had armed himself with a 20cm knife. Chilling footage showed the killer pacing outside his home before being picked up in a taxi. Just 30 minutes later, he arrived at the community centre as the children sang Taylor Swift songs and made friendship bracelets. Leanne opened a window due to the summer heat and saw the masked teen outside but thought nothing of it. But seconds later, the door opened and Rudakubana stormed into the class and began attacking children and adults at random. Screams rang out as the killer teen systematically made his way through the room stabbing his victims with the black-handled Cerbera kitchen knife. Hero dance teacher Leanne was stabbed in the arms, neck and back as she used her body to shield young girls from the knifeman. She screamed at the children to "run away" Her colleague Heidi Liddle escaped uninjured after bravely locking some of the children inside a toilet. Businessman Jonathan Hayes, who was working in the office next door, was attacked after he ran inside and tried to stop the carnage. At 11.57am - 12 minutes after the rampage began - police stormed the scene. Officers found Rudakubana holding the large, bloodied kitchen knife and he was arrested. After the horror attack, the teen said "I'm glad they're dead" as he was held in a custody suite. As a result, the killer was free to storm the Hart Space community centre and begin senselessly knifing terrified children and adults. A rapid review into his contact with Prevent found his case should have been kept open. It also concluded Rudakubana should have been referred to Channel, another anti-terror scheme. The killer pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and ten of attempted murder. He also admitted two terror offences after police found ricin and an Al-Qaeda manual at his home. Despite this, cops are still not treating the attack as terror-related. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years following the horrific triple murder but will likely never be released.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Father of girl injured in Southport attack says she was stabbed by ‘coward'
The father of one of the girls injured in the Southport attack has told an inquiry she was stabbed in the back by a 'coward she didn't see'. On Wednesday, the second day of the public inquiry heard evidence from families of the children who survived the attack, carried out by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year. The father of one of the girls, who was referred to as C3 during the hearing to protect her identity, told the hearing at Liverpool Town Hall it was 'patently clear that lessons need to be learned from what happened, and processes need to be changed'. Sitting beside the girl's mother in the witness box, he said: 'Our nine-year-old daughter was stabbed three times in the back by a coward she didn't even see. 'Although she didn't know what was happening — she knew she had to run. ' He said they had since seen CCTV footage of her running from the building on Hart Street, looking 'scared, confused and pained' and hiding behind a parked car, before jumping to 'relative safety' through an open car door. He added: 'We remain eternally grateful that we were lucky that day, and that the skill of the paramedics, surgeons and medical staff meant we got our little girl back.' Describing his daughter as his 'hero', the father said she remained 'the positive, caring, funny, enthusiastic, courageous girl she always was'. He said: 'She wears her scars with a dignity and defiance that is remarkable.' The mother of another girl who was at the event, referred to as Child Q, said arriving to collect her daughter on that day and seeing screaming children from the building was 'the most horrific experience of my life'. 'To be unaware of what was happening, trying to process it all whilst also being fearful of what could happen next – it's an unexplainable feeling,' she said. 'What I saw on that day will stick with me forever, I constantly have flashbacks and re-live what happened.' The statement, read by the family's legal representative, said Child Q was 'an anxious little girl' who had taken 'significant step' by attending the event as she often struggled socially outside school. The girl's mother said: 'Although physically unharmed, she has struggled with the psychological impact of the trauma and to this day has been unable to talk to us about what happened and what she witnessed. 'Our daughter became very withdrawn, emotional and had so many worries. In her words, due to what she witnessed, 'How will I ever be normal again'? 'She is even more anxious about not being with us or being dropped off at another event without us. 'She is scared when she hears a siren or sees an emergency vehicle. Q is still unable to sleep alone and struggles with falling asleep. 'She always asks for doors to be closed when we enter or leave a room, this helps her to feel safe.' Child Q's mother said her daughter now has to sit where she can see the door at school so she can always be aware of who is entering the classroom, and is sometimes unable to attend school altogether due to her anxiety. She added: 'We will always do everything we can to make sure that what happened doesn't control our lives or take away our joy. 'Our daughter is a strong, brave and beautiful little girl who has so much love and support around her to get her through the tough days. 'As her parents all we want is for her to feel safe, loved and to enjoy her childhood and we will do everything we can to make this happen.' A statement was read on behalf of the mother of a seven-year-old girl referred to as C8. Her mother described her daughter as having an 'incredible energy', but said the incident in July 'changed everything'. She said she was at work on July 29 when she received a 'panicked phone call' from her friend's mother. She said: 'That moment, the sound of fear in her voice and the panic I felt will never leave me. 'I rushed to the scene and what I saw is something no parent should ever see.' She said her daughter, who suffered injuries to her arm and face, could not be left alone any more and only felt safe with a small number of people, needing 'constant support, reassurance and protection'. She had 'witnessed horrors that no-one should ever see', she said. She said: 'I am grateful beyond words that she survived. But what she went through, what she saw and what she continues to carry has changed everything.' Counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC said commemorative and impact evidence from victims and families was the 'first and important part' of the first phase of the public inquiry. Four statements were due to be heard on Wednesday, with more evidence from families expected when hearings resume in September. The inquiry was opened on Tuesday by chairman Sir Adrian Fulford, who described the acts of Rudakubana as 'one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history'. The 18-year-old was given a life sentence in January, with a minimum term of 52 years, for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. In his opening statement, Sir Adrian said Rudakubana 'posed a very serious and significant risk of violent harm, with a particular and known predilection for knife crime'.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Southport stabbing murders were 'mercilessly calculated' and among the 'most egregious' in UK history, chairman tells opening of public inquiry
The teenager who murdered three young girls in Southport was responsible for 'one of the most egregious crimes' in UK history, the chairman of the public inquiry said today. Opening the hearings into last July's attacks, Sir Adrian Fulford said Axel Rudakubana perpetrated 'an almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated' killing spree when he went on the rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance club. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died in the attack, which also left eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes seriously injured. They, and another 16 children who were at the club, also suffered significant psychological trauma, Sir Adrian said. Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 52 years - one of the highest minimum terms on record - after pleading guilty to the murders and attempted murders, plus other offences, in January. Soon afterwards, Sir Adrian, a former vice-president of the Court of Appeal, was appointed by the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to carry out a 'forensic investigation' into the events on July 29. He said it was 'truly critical' that the inquiry gets answers for the families of Rudakubana's victims and makes recommendations to prevent anything similar happening in the future. The hearings will examine why several agencies, including the police, the courts, the NHS and social services, who all had contact with Rudakubana, failed to identify the risk he posed. It will also investigate whether the attack could or should have been prevented. Three separate referrals were made to Prevent, the Government's counter-terror programme, about Rudakubana's behaviour, between December 2019 and April 2021, as well as six separate calls to police. A review into the Prevent referrals, published in February, found he posed sufficient risk to keep his cases active but too much focus was placed on a lack of distinct ideology and they were closed prematurely. The inquiry will draw on evidence from interviews with witnesses and disclosure from 15 organisations, including MI5, Counter-Terrorism Policing, NHS England and Merseyside Police. Sir Adrian said 'for the benefit of the victims and their families' Rudakubana would not be named during the hearings, but instead be referred to as 'the perpetrator' or by his initials, AR. He also read out the names of the three girls who died and the 23 ciphers - the letters or numbers - that the inquiry is using for the ones who survived, but whose anonymity is protected. He has also urged the media not to use the mugshot of Rudakubana, issued by Merseyside police, in their reporting of the inquiry because of the 'distress' it caused to the young survivors. He said he had spoken to relatives of the girls present at the dance class, who had told him they found repeated use of it to be 'terrifying.' 'Seeing the face of the perpetrator, often without any warning, has the potential to be significantly retraumatising,' Sir Adrian said. He added that the continued use of the mugshot also risked 'disrupting the process of rebuilding broken lives.' As part of a moving tribute, those seated in the inquiry chamber, at Liverpool Town Hall, where the hearings are being held, were also asked to stand for a minute's silence to remember Alice, Elsie and Bebe. 'The perpetrator is responsible for one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history,' Sir Adrian said. 'However hard we try, ordinary language simply fails to reflect the enormity of what he did on 29 July last year. 'None of the most powerful adjectives even begin to suffice. There are no words adequately to describe what occurred and I'm not going to try and then fail to find them. 'Instead, I simply observe that his crimes impose the heaviest of burdens on our society to investigate speedily but comprehensively how it was possible for AR to have caused such devastation; to analyse the decisions that were or were not taken by multiple individuals and organisations given his deteriorating and deeply troubling behaviour; to identify without fear or favour all of the relevant failings; and to make comprehensive, sensible and achievable recommendations to ensure we have the best chance of intervening with and preventing others who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way.' Sir Adrian said the first phase of the inquiry, which is expected to last until the end of the year, will focus on Rudakubana, his dealings with the relevant agencies and the sharing of information between them. It will also look into how well the risk he posed was addressed, decisions which were made or not made 'along with any missed opportunities' to stop him. The inquiry chair said there were already some 'undisputed but troubling facts' about what had happened, including: Rudakubana had been expelled from Range High School in Formby but managed to return and attack another pupil with a hockey stick on December 11, 2019. He was found with a knife and overheard saying he intended to kill another student during the same incident. He was referred to Prevent on three occasions, on December 5, 2019, February 1, 2021 and April 26, 2021 after being spotted researching school shootings, the Libyan military dictator Colonel Gaddafi and the London Bridge terror attack online. He was reported missing on March 17, 2022 and later stopped on a bus by police armed with a knife. Sir Adrian said it was 'of potential critical importance' that again Rudakubana said during this incident that he wanted to stab someone. He had accessed online books, research papers, information leaflets and instruction manuals, which included material about explosives, warfare and knives, including one called 'Assassination Using Poisons and Cold Steel,' and another named 'Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual' on his tablets and devices. That manual had been downloaded twice, once on August 30, 2021 and then again on September 4, 2021. He had managed to order and buy a 20cm chef's knife using a private VPN online. A week before the attack, he armed himself with a knife and tried to return to Range High School again, on the day the school broke up for the summer holidays. Immediately before the attack, he watched a video of the violent stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Australia and five other individuals. Over a period of more than two years, between January 2022 and July last year, he also managed to obtain an arsenal of weapons, including a bow and arrow, two types of machete, two large knives, a sledgehammer, materials to make Molotov cocktail explosives and other ingredients to make the deadly toxin ricin. Sir Adrian said that such factors, when taken together, suggested that the attack was far from being 'an unforeseeable catastrophic event,' and instead, by July last year, Rudakubana had a 'known predilection for knife crime' and posed a 'very serious and significant risk of violent harm.' 'Furthermore, his ability, unhindered, to access gravely violent material on the internet, to order knives online at a young age, and then to leave home unsupervised to commit the present attack, speaks to a wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed,' the chairman added. He said the inquiry would need to reflect on whether 'the multi-agency handling' of risk, including the operation of the Prevent programme, was sufficient and determine whether there should be better, more effective systems in place to identify, monitor and control those contemplating such serious crimes. Sir Adrian added: 'We need to understand what went wrong and thereafter identify and implement the most effective measures to ensure, to the extent that we are able, that there is no repetition. 'As a society we are not helpless when confronted with individuals who are known to be contemplating acts of such depravity and although no solution will be foolproof, we can identify all of the robust steps which should be taken to protect ourselves, and particularly the most vulnerable, from horrors of this kind. 'This must be undertaken at speed, to provide answers for the victims and their families and to identify all of the changes that urgently need to be made.' Sir Adrian pointed out that the Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously said that Southport 'must be a line in the sand' and that 'nothing would be off the table' for the inquiry to investigate. The chairman said he was determined that the hearings would 'not turn into an exercise of papering over the cracks' but would act as a 'real engine for change.' He also said that the present Crime and Policing Bill, which has passed its second reading in the House of Commons, includes the provision of Youth Diversion Orders, which are aimed at anyone aged under 22 that is involved in terrorist offending, in order to 'divert them from the wider criminal justice system', including prosecution. But he pointed out that Rudakubana's crimes were not terror-related and the inquiry will, therefore, look closely at whether the State should be able to impose restrictions on individuals if there is strong evidence that they intend to commit serious violent crimes per se. Measures such as imposing curfews, tags, or placing restrictions on their movement or ability to use the internet and social media, or to require psychological intervention until the risk is deemed to have been reduced. Sir Adrian said he expected all organisations and witnesses taking part in the hearings to be candid and 'frank' and to 'volunteer information about errors' and things which went wrong. He said he expected his first report on the first phase of the inquiry to be completed by early next year at the latest. Rachael Wong, director at law firm Bond Turner, representing the three bereaved families, said they would be doing all they could to help Sir Adrian get to the 'truth.' 'We know that nothing the inquiry reveals or subsequently recommends will change the unimaginable loss felt by the families of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, but we all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again,' she said. 'We will be doing all we can to assist the chair through the inquiry and uncover the truth. 'It is only through intense public scrutiny that real change can be effected.' Impact statements from parents of four child survivors will be read to the inquiry tomorrow. The hearings will then be adjourned until September, when more statements from the remaining relatives of victims and survivors will continue. The second phase will look at the more wider 'troubling trend' of children being drawn into extreme violence and what can be done to reverse this, the chairman added. The widespread rioting and civil unrest following the murders is not being examined by the inquiry.
Times
21-05-2025
- Times
Southport yoga teacher: I haven't used a knife since the attack
Leanne Lucas was weeks away from completing her studies as a counsellor to further her thriving wellness business when an act of misogynistic violence shattered her world. The 36-year-old primary school teacher was leading a group of young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class in Southport on July 29 last year when horror descended. A hooded teenager, Axel Rudakubana, now 18, burst in and fatally stabbed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and tried to kill ten others — including Lucas. It later emerged that Rudakubana had circumvented age verification checks to buy a kitchen knife on Amazon. Lucas suffered serious injuries as she tried to protect the girls. In January, the killer admitted his
