A teenage girl who survived the July stabbing at a Taylor Swift–themed holiday dance club in Southport has described her attacker, Axel Rudakubana, as "a coward" and said the psychological effects of the attack have been harder to live with than her physical injuries.
The victim, who cannot be identified because of her age, was stabbed three times in her arm and back during the attack that killed three children — Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9; Bebe King, 6; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7. Rudakubana, then 17, pleaded guilty to the murders and to the attempted murders of eight others and was later given a minimum 52-year sentence.
The survivor said the physical scars on her arms were less troubling than the mental toll, which has affected her enjoyment of dance, a hobby that previously involved a long commute and extended practice sessions. "It was hard mentally because we would travel over an hour to dance... I was also unsure about the security of the building as well and whether I'm safe," she told reporters.
Her mother said returning to school had been difficult and that the family had tried to recreate positive experiences for the girl and her friends, arranging trips and activities. The mother also described the distress of seeing Rudakubana's image and her name circulate online and of reading hostile comments on social media. "You can't escape it," she said.
Prosecutors said Rudakubana carried out a "meticulously planned" attack, knifing as many children as he could within 12 minutes at the Hart Space community centre in the Merseyside seaside town. Bystanders rushed to help and a nearby businessman, John Hayes, who tried to intervene, was also stabbed. Police arrested Rudakubana at the scene.
Inquiries since the attack have examined extensive contacts Rudakubana had with state agencies in the years before the killings. The Southport inquiry, chaired by retired judge Sir Adrian Fulford, has been reviewing whether the police, the courts, the NHS, social services and other bodies should have identified and acted on the risk he posed.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament a review of his contact with Prevent, the government's counter-extremism programme, found he had been referred to Prevent three times and had admitted carrying a knife on more than ten occasions, yet his case was closed. Investigators found he had expressed interest in school shootings, the London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and conflicts in the Middle East, and had accessed violent material online.
Items recovered from Rudakubana's home included knives, a machete and scabbard, a bow and arrows, a sledgehammer, materials for makeshift explosives and ingredients that investigators said could be used to make the toxin ricin. Tablet computers seized from the family home reportedly contained footage and writings about historical and modern acts of violence.
Sir Adrian has described the attack as "an almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated" rampage and said the inquiry must secure answers for families and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents. He has said the hearings will consider whether courts should be able to impose restrictions — such as curfews, electronic tagging or internet bans — on people suspected of planning serious violent offences even if they have not committed a crime, and whether Prevent needs reform to address those drawn to extreme violence without a clear ideological motive.
The inquiry has already heard impact statements from relatives and survivors. Sir Adrian said there were "undisputed and troubling facts" showing Rudakubana had been on the radar of several agencies and that failures to intervene allowed him unfettered access to weapons and violent material.
Officers who responded to the scene described the trauma of confronting the scale of the attack. Sergeant Greg Gillespie told the BBC he saw "fear" on people's faces and recalled encountering what he believed at the time to be a dead child. Police Federation awards later recognised three officers — Sergeant Gillespie, PC Luke Holden and PCSO Timothy Parry — for their actions. PC Holden said the event increased his "hyper-vigilance" and that his approach to policing had been permanently changed.
Families of the three children had asked that no flowers be left at schools or the scene, and that there be no vigils or large public gatherings. To respect those wishes, public bodies did not call the day an anniversary, but people gathered in Town Hall Gardens to observe a silence and some left single roses at a designated spot. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the victims, saying the nation stood "in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children" and in admiration of the families who had "shown strength beyond words."
The inquiry is continuing this month with further statements from families and survivors. It will not examine the wider unrest and rioting that followed the murders. Sir Adrian said it was "truly critical" the hearings produce recommendations to ensure the failings identified are addressed so similar harms might be prevented in future.