Families of children who were injured in the Southport attack have expressed fears that their daughters are being forgotten. The attack, which occurred in July 2024, claimed the lives of three young girls: Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Axel Rudakubana launched the assault during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, injuring eight other children and attempting to murder them.
Twenty-three girls managed to escape the dance class, but the identities of the surviving children remain protected by legal orders. Five families of the injured children have spoken to the BBC, voicing their concerns that the public has moved on while their daughters continue to struggle with the aftermath.
One mother stated: “There are 23 girls moving around this town, and nobody has any idea who they are.” A father added: “Anonymity is not invisibility. We hope people bear them in mind because it’s the absolute least they deserve.”
The families also highlighted difficulties in accessing support for their children. The mother of a girl who was stabbed and then dragged back inside by the attacker told the BBC: “The damage that was able to be done in such a short space of time is absolutely harrowing for a child to survive and have to live with.”
Last month, a public inquiry into the attack concluded that it “could and should have been prevented” and that no organisation took ownership of the risk posed by Rudakubana.
