'It shattered our souls': Southport victim's parents describe 'horror movie' of losing daughter

23 January 2025, 13:00

The parents of a girl who was murdered in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport said her death has "shattered our souls".

Axel Rudakubana, 18, from Lancashire, is facing sentencing after he pleaded guilty to murdering three girls on Monday, on what was due to be the first day of his trial.

Warning: This article page contains distressing details

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were killed in the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed class at a small business park in the seaside town. Rudakubana also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife over the attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July.

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In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, the parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar were in court as their statement is read by the prosecutor.

They say it was the "most tragic day of our lives".

Alice was a "beautiful girl, perfect in every way," who loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets.

"She loved Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter," the statement says, adding she was "strong and confident" with "a world of dreams and unlimited potential".

Alice, who was going to be surprised with a trip to Disneyland later in the year, woke up "really excited" to go to the dance class where she was stabbed. They say their world was "shattered and turned upside down".

"Our life went with her. He took us too," the statement says. "Our dream girl has been taken in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls".

They said they would do anything to hold their daughter one more time: "It feels like we're stuck in a five-dimensional horror movie."

Yoga teacher 'lost her job' after attack

The yoga teacher present during the attack, who was stabbed in the back, told the court she couldn't give herself "compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died?".

Leanne Lucas, 36, said all she wanted to do was make a "positive impact" but has now lost her job as she can no longer provide "guidance and reassurance to anyone."

"I feel like I can no longer be trusted again," she says. "I can never feel that level of responsibility again where there may be dangers to others."

Ms Lucas was injured physically but says, like the surviving girls, she has "scars we cannot move on from".

"To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible. For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi, and the surviving girls, I'm surviving for you."

'You didn't look human - you looked possessed'

The emotional father of a girl, 9, who was stabbed but survived read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the family.

He says his daughter told him: "When people in school asked me: 'Do you wish you weren't there that day?' I said that, in some ways, I wish I wasn't, but also, if I wasn't there, someone else would have been stabbed and they could have died, so I'm glad I might have stopped someone else getting hurt'.

"These are not the words that any little girl, who just liked yoga and making bracelets, should ever need to say. Her words both horrify us and make us immeasurably proud."

Addressing Rudakubana (who was not present) another surviving girl said: "You didn't look human, you looked possessed."

Child killer asked to leave court after shouting

On Thursday, Rudakubana had to be removed from court twice after trying to disrupt proceedings, shouting that he had chest pains and wanted to be seen by a paramedic.

"I can't remain quiet," he shouted, shortly before the judge asked him to leave the first time. "I haven't eaten for ten days. I feel ill. I'm not going to remain quiet."

He returned to court for the afternoon, but began shouting again and was removed. The judge confirmed he had been deemed fit to attend by two paramedics.

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(c) Sky News 2025: 'It shattered our souls': Southport victim's parents describe 'horror movie' of losing daughter