A dance teacher told a public inquiry in Liverpool that she hid with a child in a toilet as the Southport knife attacker banged on the door, and said she now carries "crushing" guilt for the events of the day.
Heidi Liddle, speaking publicly for the first time at the Liverpool Town Hall hearing, described being a guest teacher at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop in Southport on July 29, 2024, after returning from maternity leave. What began as a session making bracelets with children "filled with joy and happiness" turned "dramatically and devastatingly" within seconds when the attacker entered the venue, she said.
Ms Liddle said she saw a colleague, yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, being brutally attacked and that there was "no time to think but to just run and usher as many children away from danger as possible." She told the inquiry she pushed a girl who had run toward the toilet inside and locked the door, reassuring her and telling her to be quiet. The attacker repeatedly banged and rattled the door and only stopped when police arrived, she said.
Three children were killed in the attack: nine-year-old Alice Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Bebe King. Eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded.
Ms Liddle told the inquiry she is haunted by the screaming and the fear she and the children felt and that she constantly replays the day's events. "Although people have told me this incident is not my fault, the guilt I bear is crushing," she said, adding that she now suffers daily flashbacks and struggles with ordinary tasks. She said she is "grieving for the girls and their families" and for the person she used to be.
Leanne Lucas, who survived the attack but was critically injured, also gave an emotional impact statement at the hearing. She said she called 999 amid "bedlam" and "chaos" as she and Ms Liddle tried to push terrified children away from harm. Lucas said her physical wounds have healed but the psychological scars remain raw and that she has been subject to sustained online abuse.
"To some I am called a hero, to others a villain. The truth is, I am neither. I am just Leanne, the woman who did her best in an unthinkable situation," Ms Lucas said. She told the inquiry her parents wanted the panel to understand that "one person chose to do this, one person, and one person alone," and she urged that the harm did not end when the attack ended.
The inquiry's first phase is examining the attacker's history and his dealings with relevant agencies, and whether there were opportunities to prevent the killings. Witnesses at the hearing have included staff and parents connected to the workshop and emergency responders. The hearing was adjourned until Thursday.
Both Ms Liddle and Ms Lucas told the inquiry they hoped its work would help prevent similar harm in future. The hearing will continue to examine evidence about the attacker’s background, agency contacts and any missed opportunities before proceeding to later phases that will consider operational responses on the day of the attack.