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The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
I couldn't breathe & felt I was dying after Southport killer knifed my spine… I knew from his eyes he wanted to kill us
A TEENAGE survivor of Axel Rudakubana's murderous rampage in a Southport dance class has described the moment she first saw the killer - saying he looked 'possessed'. The girl, who was 13 at the time, said he 'didn't look human' and that she knew from his eyes that he 'wanted to kill us all' as he stabbed the girl in front of her multiple times. 14 14 She was stabbed in the back and the arm, but managed to escape the room in the Hart Space centre along with her nine-year-old sister. She told the new Channel 4 documentary One Day In Southport: 'My vision was going blurry and I ran across to this guy and I said to him: 'I've been stabbed, I think I'm dying.' 'I was struggling to breathe, and I saw my sister there and she was saying, 'Please don't die, please don't die'.' The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was at the Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop last July to take pictures for the teacher's social media. Most of the other attendees were girls aged six to 10, including her sister's close friend, Alice da Silva Aguiar. Tragically, nine-year-old Alice was one of three girls who lost their lives in the attacks, as well as Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Eight more children and two adults - including the yoga teacher, Leanne Lucas, 36 - were treated in hospital for their injuries. The girl's parents also speak in the documentary, and describe the horrific moment they realised their children had been involved in the attack. The father, who rushed straight to the Hart Space, recalled: 'I saw one of the people there carrying a child in his arms. "And then as soon as I saw that I ran straight into that building and up those stairs and that's when I was confronted with sights and smells I never want to relive.' The mother added: 'My husband phones me and says you need to get here now, the kids have been stabbed. Southport fiend Axel Rudakubana hurled scalding water over prison guard in 'terrifying' attack putting victim in hospital 14 14 "There were just ambulances and fire engines everywhere and there was blood all over the floor and the cars. "I didn't want to look, I didn't want to know it was my child.' The knifeman had inflicted life-threatening injuries on their eldest daughter, puncturing her spine. Her father described it looking like 'her muscles had been turned inside out'. But the girl had also saved the lives of some of the other children, by leading them down the stairs to safety. She said: 'I saw some of the girls huddling round the stairs looking like they didn't know what to do, so I started screaming at them to run and get themselves down the stairs. "They got themselves out of the building and I am so proud of every single one of them.' I was struggling to breathe, and I saw my sister there and she was saying, 'please don't die, please don't die' Southport Survivor The documentary also explores how the appalling attacks triggered ten days of mob violence across the UK. With the police initially refusing to name the attacker, online speculation filled the vacuum and falsely identified the killer as a Muslim and an illegal immigrant. A raging mob attempted to burn down Southport mosque, and were barely held back by police who also found themselves under attack. Ibrahim Hussein, imam of the mosque, described being trapped inside while thugs threw missiles and set the building on fire. He said: 'The whole place was shaking and between me and them was only one PVC door. One kick and they would be inside. 'The police tried to hold them back but smoke was coming through and it was soon covering the whole office. "I had young lads in here, with young families, and some of them broke down and were crying.' The mosque had absolutely no connection to the killer. The imam added: 'Obviously we were just as devastated as anybody else [by the attacks] because in the Muslim community family is everything. But social media took over.' 'Pressure cooker' 14 14 14 When the killer was named as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, a Cardiff-born son of Rwandan Christian parents, it did nothing to stem the anger and violence that was now spreading across the country. The documentary shows shocking footage from the 27 towns and cities where riots erupted, with mobs attacking migrant hotels, fighting running battles with police and in Middlesborough, indiscriminately smashing windows. But some of those involved in the demonstrations tell the documentary it was not about race. Dean Neil, a bearded political activist and bricklayer, claimed: 'If you're white, straight and working-class, you're getting hammered'. He said at the first demonstration in central London, he was surrounded by 'people you expect to see in Marks and Spencer doing their shopping'. Wendell Daniel, who is black and works as a videographer for the Far Right leader Tommy Robinson, agrees the main flash point is class. He said: 'It was a pressure cooker that was building and building and it was ready to explode. "Then when Southport happened, boom. I have never seen people so angry.' However, the film shows some of the most shocking violence directed at migrant hotels. Harry Jackson, a call centre worker and YouTuber from Hull, where the Royal Hotel which houses asylum seekers was attacked, said: 'England is a white Christian English nation and I think it should stay that way. It was a pressure cooker that was building and building and it was ready to explode. Then when Southport happened, boom. I have never seen people so angry Wendell Daniel "I don't think it's controversial or racist to say that. The only way for the English people to take back control of their government and economy… is by force.' Shocking footage shows a huge mob in the town attempting to drag a group of Romanian cousins from their car to beat them up. One of the Romanians tells the documentary he thought he was going to be killed. He added: 'Foreigners come to work and mind their business, people who are from this country, destroy it.' Murad, an asylum seeker from central Asia, found himself under attack at a migrant hotel in Rotherham where thugs threw bricks at the windows, stormed the corridors and set fires. He said: 'It's both wonderful and awful in England. You look after us but you hate us.' In the aftermath of the riots police made 1,800 arrests and rioters sentences now total more than 1,000 hours. But Weyman Bennett, secretary of campaigning organisation Stand Up To Racism and a veteran of three decades of anti-fascist street protests, says that the riots demonstrated a dangerously widespread dissatisfaction. He said: 'People are rightfully angry but they're blaming the wrong people. Immigration is used as an explanation for everything.' Weyman also believes that we're seeing a tidal shift in politics and the kinds of people who attend 'far right' rallies. He said: "This time they involved a periphery of angry people who were not fascists. "There's a populist feeling that 'no-one's listening to us' and actually the far-right could end up being the cheerleaders of that, and that's the danger.' Lasting impact The teenage survivor and her family tell the documentary they reject the politicisation of the Southport attacks. Asked whether it bothers her that the person who attacked her daughter was the son of immigrants, the mother said: 'I choose not to make that a reason. There were just ambulances and fire engines everywhere and there was blood all over the floor and the cars. I didn't want to look, I didn't want to know it was my child Mother of Southport Survivor "At the time we didn't feel any anger, we just wanted to hold everyone close and dear and just wanted to feel love and compassion, nothing more.' The girl says she is still living with the consequences of being stabbed, having to use a special chair at school to ease the pain on her scars and taking time out of lessons when she suffers debilitating flashbacks. But she condemns the violence of protesters who claimed to be acting in the name of the Southport victims. She said: 'I didn't think the rioting needed to happen. It didn't represent me at all.' One Day in Southport airs on Channel 4 tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) at 9pm. 14 14 14 14 14
The National
10-07-2025
- The National
Southport inquiry hears harrowing accounts from girls who escaped killer
The mother of a girl who escaped the Southport knife attack but was dragged back into the building has told a public inquiry of her daughter's courage and determination to survive as she 'fought like hell' to escape. The second day of the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall heard evidence from families of children who survived the attack, carried out by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year. The mother of one girl, who was seven when she suffered 33 stab wounds, said the inquiry 'must answer her daughter's questions' about how the attack happened. Sitting beside the girl's father in the witness box, she said: 'She deserves the truth, she deserves accountability. She deserves an apology. Our girls deserve an apology, backed up by the promise that changes will be made and this will not be allowed to happen again.' Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to life in jail 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. The woman, whose daughter was referred to as C1 to protect her identity, said: 'I want you to be in no doubt of the consequences of this horrific attack and what life now looks like for our daughter. 'I expect the weight of responsibility you hold to be felt in every question you ask and every recommendation you make.' She said her daughter became known as 'the girl that was dragged back in' after footage of her escaping was shown during the sentencing of Rudakubana. 'But she is so much more than that moment on CCTV. Those moments carried so much courage and determination to survive, that the CCTV footage does not tell us,' the woman said. She told the inquiry her daughter 'fought like hell, to get herself out of that building, twice' and described a 'stampede' to get out, during which she was knocked over and huddled with two other children at the top of the stairs. She said: 'I would like to say that I don't for a moment doubt that the actions of the teachers there that day saved lives. They escaped to call the police and flag down help, they shielded other children. I am grateful for what they did for those girls. 'But the uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.' The father of another of the girls said it was 'patently clear that lessons need to be learnt 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. Describing his daughter as his 'hero', the father said she remained 'the positive, caring, funny, enthusiastic, courageous girl she always was'. He added: '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 running 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 relive what happened.' In a statement read by the family's legal representative, the woman 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 altogether due to her anxiety. The mother of a seven-year-old girl, referred to as C8, said in a statement read on her behalf that the incident had 'changed everything'. She said she was at work on July 29 when she received a 'panicked phone call' from her friend's mother. '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 felt safe only with a small number of people, needing 'constant support, reassurance and protection'. She had 'witnessed horrors that no one should ever see', she said. 'I am grateful beyond words that she survived," she added. "But what she went through, what she saw and what she continues to carry has changed everything.' Counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC paid tribute to the 'immense courage and dignity' of the families who had prepared evidence. After hearing four statements, the hearing was adjourned until September 8, when more evidence will be heard. 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'. 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'.
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Telegraph
Southport's unspoken truth: ‘Our children had to save each other'
A Southport victim's mother has said the 'unspoken truth' of the attack was that the children were left to save each other. The woman, whose seven-year-old daughter was stabbed 33 times during the rampage, said the little girls fought alongside one another and now 'deserve the truth and deserve an apology'. The attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year saw Axel Rudakubana murder Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe. The 18-year-old also attempted to kill eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as Leanne Lucas, the class instructor, and John Hayes, a local businessman. Ms Lucas had left the room to find help, previously saying 'if I didn't get out, everyone was going to die'. Meanwhile, organiser Heidi Liddle 'ushered many children out of the building for safety' and locked others in the toilets to protect them. The mother of one of the surviving children, referred to only as Child C1, told the Southport Inquiry that 'there were no adults to help our daughter' on the day of the attack. Reading out a victim impact statement at Liverpool Town Hall, the woman, whose child lost two and a half litres of blood in the assault, said: 'She was only supported by other children. The courage and strength she found leaves me crushed but in complete awe. 'I would like to say that I don't for a moment doubt that the actions of the teachers there that day saved lives. 'They escaped to call the police and flag down help, they shielded other children. I am grateful for what they did for those girls. 'But the uncomfortable – and often unspoken – truth of our own reality is that when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.' She added: 'It is these untold stories of remarkable strength and bravery that are missing when we have heard other accounts of this day.' Her daughter was captured on CCTV trying to flee the building after being attacked by Rudakubana before she was dragged back inside and stabbed again. 'She had fought like hell to get herself out of that building, twice,' the mother said. 'And that reality is painful – our children fought alone, they shielded each other, comforted each other and helped each other, and that must be remembered.' The inquiry heard that there was a 'stampede' when the girls tried to flee the first-floor dance studio and escape via a narrow corridor. 'In the chaos, she was knocked over and found herself trapped and huddled with two other children at the top of the stairs,' the woman continued. 'She put her arms around the girls as [Rudakubana] began to attack them. 'She tells me with such clarity that a moment came where one of the girls was able to get up. She put the girl's hand on the handrail and told her to go – to get down the stairs – and she did.' As the attack continued, she said her daughter crouched over another girl, telling her 'it would be okay'. She was told by her daughter: 'It happened so fast, but I helped them, I'm glad I could help them, mum.' Speaking about the lasting impact of the assault, she said her daughter struggled to understand how someone 'could do this to children'. The woman said that on some days her daughter, who was the most severely injured of all the surviving children, showed empathy for her attacker. She said Child C1 asked: 'Did he have friends? Were people not kind to him? Why did no one help him? How did he get the knife? Did his parents know? Why didn't he get stopped? Did the police know?' Images of her daughter's injured body were posted to TikTok following the attack, and the family now keep only blunt knives in their home. The mother said her daughter physically shudders when experiencing flashbacks and is repeatedly re-traumatised when looking at her scars. She compared helping her daughter to recover from the attack's aftermath to 'sucking out poison'. 'She needs us to guarantee her safety in a world where we can't,' she added. The inquiry heard that her daughter, along with all the little girls, 'deserve truth and deserve accountability'. 'Our girls deserve an apology, backed up by the promise that changes will be made and this will not be allowed to happen again,' she said. Three other parents of surviving children also gave evidence at the hearing on Wednesday, with each describing the lasting trauma of the attack. Another mother, whose daughter is known as Child C8, said her little girl now insists on knowing where the exits are whenever she enters a new building. She said: 'She constantly scans people and places for danger. One time she saw a newspaper in a shop with the perpetrator's photo in school uniform and since then, groups of school children – especially older boys in uniform – are a major trigger.' She added that her daughter has also been left fearful of men, 'particularly those who are black', which has led to 'difficult but necessary conversations about race'. Describing the moment her daughter called her on the day of the attack, the woman said: 'The sound of fear in her voice and the panic I felt will never leave me.' The mother of another little girl, known as Child Q, said that 'witnessing children running from the building, screaming and fearing for their lives is the most horrific experience of my life.' She told the inquiry that her daughter always asks for doors to be closed and panics whenever she hears a police siren or sees an emergency vehicle. The parents of a fourth surviving victim – a nine-year-old girl – said their child had been '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,' the mother added. The inquiry will resume in September.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Mother of injured girl tells Southport inquiry ‘our girls deserve an apology'
The mother of a girl who escaped the Southport knife attack but was dragged back into the building has told a public inquiry 'our girls deserve an apology'. On Wednesday, the second day of the public inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall 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 mother of one girl, who was seven when she suffered 33 stab wounds, said the inquiry 'must answer her daughter's questions' about how the attack happened. Sitting beside the girl's father in the witness box, she said: 'She deserves the truth, she deserves accountability. She deserves an apology. Our girls deserve an apology. 'Backed up by the promise that changes will be made and this will not be allowed to happen again.' Eighteen-year-old Rudakubana 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. The woman, whose daughter was referred to as C1 to protect her identity, said: 'I want you to be in no doubt of the consequences of this horrific attack and what life now looks like for our daughter. 'I expect the weight of responsibility you hold to be felt in every question you ask and every recommendation you make.' She said her daughter became known as 'the girl that was dragged back in' after footage of her escaping was shown during the sentencing of Rudakubana. 'But she is so much more than that moment on CCTV. Those moments carried so much courage and determination to survive, that the CCTV footage does not tell us,' the woman said. She told the inquiry her daughter 'fought like hell, to get herself out of that building, twice' and described a 'stampede' to get out, during which she was knocked over and huddled with two other children at the top of the stairs. She said: 'I would like to say that I don't for a moment doubt that the actions of the teachers there that day saved lives. 'They escaped to call the police and flag down help, they shielded other children. I am grateful for what they did for those girls. 'But the uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.' The father of another of the girls said 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. 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 running 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.' In the statement, read by the family's legal representative, the woman 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. The mother of a seven-year-old girl, referred to as C8, said in a statement read on her behalf that the incident had '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 paid tribute to the 'immense courage and dignity' of the families who had prepared evidence. After hearing four statements, the hearing was adjourned until September 8, when more impact evidence will be heard. 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'. 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'.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mother of injured girl tells Southport inquiry ‘our girls deserve an apology'
The mother of a girl who escaped the Southport knife attack but was dragged back into the building has told a public inquiry 'our girls deserve an apology'. On Wednesday, the second day of the public inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall 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 mother of one girl, who was seven when she suffered 33 stab wounds, said the inquiry 'must answer her daughter's questions' about how the attack happened. Sitting beside the girl's father in the witness box, she said: 'She deserves the truth, she deserves accountability. She deserves an apology. Our girls deserve an apology. 'Backed up by the promise that changes will be made and this will not be allowed to happen again.' Eighteen-year-old Rudakubana 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. The woman, whose daughter was referred to as C1 to protect her identity, said: 'I want you to be in no doubt of the consequences of this horrific attack and what life now looks like for our daughter. 'I expect the weight of responsibility you hold to be felt in every question you ask and every recommendation you make.' She said her daughter became known as 'the girl that was dragged back in' after footage of her escaping was shown during the sentencing of Rudakubana. 'But she is so much more than that moment on CCTV. Those moments carried so much courage and determination to survive, that the CCTV footage does not tell us,' the woman said. She told the inquiry her daughter 'fought like hell, to get herself out of that building, twice' and described a 'stampede' to get out, during which she was knocked over and huddled with two other children at the top of the stairs. She said: 'I would like to say that I don't for a moment doubt that the actions of the teachers there that day saved lives. 'They escaped to call the police and flag down help, they shielded other children. I am grateful for what they did for those girls. 'But the uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.' The father of another of the girls said 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. 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 running 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.' In the statement, read by the family's legal representative, the woman 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. The mother of a seven-year-old girl, referred to as C8, said in a statement read on her behalf that the incident had '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 paid tribute to the 'immense courage and dignity' of the families who had prepared evidence. After hearing four statements, the hearing was adjourned until September 8, when more impact evidence will be heard. 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'. 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'.
