A selfless nine-year-old who survived Axel Rudakubana's horrific rampage during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has said she is 'glad' she was there because it 'prevented someone else from getting hurt'.
The little girl's heartbreaking victim impact statement was among those read out during Rudakubana's sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court today.
Rudakubana faces a life sentence after admitting the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in Southport on July 29, 2024.
The vicious killer also admitted the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
He further pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the day of the attack, producing a biological toxin – ricin – on or before July 29, and possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing a terrorist act or preparing. .
In an emotional victim impact statement read out in court by her father, a nine-year-old survivor said: 'It was very difficult to come to terms with what happened to me at Hart Space. I struggle with my emotions and I have scars that I know will stay with me forever, but I want to look forward.
“When people at school asked me, 'Do you wish you weren't there that day,' I said that in some ways I wish I wasn't there, but if I wasn't there someone else would have been stabbed and they would have could have died, so I'm glad I could have prevented anyone else from getting hurt.”
Her father told the court that “her words both horrified and made us immeasurably proud,” adding: “Our daughter is strong. Our daughter is positive. Our daughter is brave. Our daughter is everything Axel Rudakubana is not. She is our hero.'
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was one of three children killed in the knife attack in Southport
Bebe King, six, was also killed in the knife attack at The Hart Space in Southport last July
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was one of three little girls killed in the attack in Southport
Evil Southport Axel Rudakubana faces life in prison for murdering three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class
The court also heard victim impact statements from the families of those whose children did not survive the tragedy.
Jenni Stancombe, Elsie Dot's mother, had her emotional statement read out by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC.
She said: 'That day we lost our beloved daughter, all three of us lost our best friend. But we are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken from us because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it.
“We won't let you know about her because you don't deserve to know what an extraordinary person she was. You know what you did, and we hope the weight of that knowledge follows you every day.
'The nature of your actions is beyond contempt. You consciously chose that place, fully aware that no parents would be present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. This was not an impulsive act; it was premeditated.
“You chose that place, that time, and those circumstances, knowing that when they arrived, we would only see the aftermath of the devastation caused.
“We have been robbed of the opportunity to protect our girls. If we had been there, this would never have happened and the outcome would have been very different. What you did was not just cruel and purely evil; it was the act of a coward.
Dance instructor Leanne Lucas, who was stabbed five times in the attack, said she was alive for the victims
“Although you stole our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honor her memory. We will continue her love, positivity and her legacy no matter how much pain you have caused.
“To you, Lord, they say this: You have taken our daughter, her life, her future, and everything she could have been. There is no greater loss and no greater pain. His actions have caused us a lifetime of sorrow.
'We hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on the seriousness of what he has done, but judging by his actions and behavior during this trial, we have little confidence that he will ever feel remorse that he should feel. There is nothing that can undo the damage he has caused.
“Maybe he will have an opportunity to reflect on the fear and terror he inflicted on those girls, and we sincerely want the consequences to reflect the irreparable damage he caused.”
In a statement read by prosecutors, Alice's parents, Alexandra and Sergio Aguiar, said: 'Life without Alice is not life at all. It is a state of permanent numbness.
'We can't see her photos and videos, they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we are in constant pain.
'We have her clothes, her stuffed animals and other belongings. We keep them safe and hug them often when we miss Alice.
'We also have the cat to cuddle. Alice's cat. Niko misses her so much. We all do and we will miss our perfect girl forever.”
They added: 'We were so lucky and privileged to have her. Every day felt like a gift.
'Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect every day – she loved her school, her friends, music, dancing, colorful pens and friendship bracelets.
Police investigate Hart Street in Southport on July 29 after the dance class attacks
“She loved Taylor Swift, Billy Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.
Dance instructor Leanne Lucas, who was stabbed five times in the attack but survived, said: 'I can't give myself sympathy or accept praise because how can I live knowing that I survived when children died.'
She concluded her statement by saying: “He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey.
'To discover that he was always out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehension.
“For Alice, Elsie, Bebe… and the surviving girls, I survive for you.”
A statement from Heidi Liddle, one of the class's instructors, said she “felt completely helpless” after the attack because she “didn't know how many children were injured or where they were.”
In a statement read out by the prosecutor, Mrs Liddle said: 'I felt isolated from everyone because I felt I couldn't leave my house. I was constantly in tears and didn't feel safe in my own home.'
She continued: 'The only time I left the house for the next few weeks was to visit Leanne and the girls in hospital or to attend the three girls' funerals, which was heartbreaking.
'I replayed the incident over and over in my head, changing the order of events so that myself and the little girl I was in the toilet with were stabbed and killed.
'I had trouble doing everyday things like walking the dogs and doing activities that required me to hunch over, like vacuuming, drying my hair and putting my daughter to bed in her crib, all the while imagining him chasing me would come and stab me. in the back.'
