Parents of some of the young girls who survived the Southport attack say they feel like they have “fallen through the cracks”. Twenty-three girls escaped the Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024, with many suffering life-changing injuries. But their families believe they have been given insufficient support, partly because the anonymity granted by the courts meant authorities did not know who they were.
Background of the Attack
Three girls – Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9 – were murdered in what was described as the worst mass stabbing in modern British history. Eight other children and two adults were stabbed repeatedly, some critically injured, after teenager Axel Rudakubana burst in and began attacking them. The parents of five of the girls who survived have now spoken for the first time, including those of a girl who was stabbed 33 times, and two sisters who were both injured as the eldest tried to shield her younger sibling.
Impact of Anonymity
Some parents said their daughters had missed out on support from local authorities after officials told them they did not know who their children were. All said they felt their daughters were being forgotten as their experiences had been erased from the public’s understanding of the attack. The mother of one child said: “There are 23 girls moving around this town, and nobody has any idea who they are,” while the father of another said “anonymity is not invisibility. We hope people bear them in mind because it's the absolute least they deserve.”
All the children who survived were granted anonymity as soon as legal proceedings began in court. Their parents support the order as a means of protecting their daughters’ privacy as they grow up, but also feel it has rendered their children invisible. Some of those parents have now told their stories – with names changed to comply with the court order.
Individual Stories of Survival
Daisy, who was seven at the time, was stabbed 33 times and survived against all odds. She was the last child to escape from the dance studio – having been stabbed more than a dozen times – but was dragged back inside by the attacker, who continued to hurt her. She managed to escape a second time before collapsing outside. Her mum said: “It was really important for her to know that bravery and heroism started with her – when there wasn’t anyone else there, and nobody was able to come to help her. 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.”
Another victim, Bethany, was stabbed as she tried to protect her little sister, Amber. Their dad said: “They got themselves out of that building. I don't think enough people understand or know that.” He said the girls now both sleep beside one of their parents: “They're both medicated to get to sleep. The youngest has nightmares and revisits it all the time.”
The mother of another girl, Charlotte, told about the psychological legacy of the attack. Her daughter was among the first to be stabbed, before she ran away and took refuge in a car. “Her innocence has been taken away from her,” her mother said, adding: “She is now aware of things that she shouldn't be aware of. She looks over her shoulder. She can’t walk the dog without looking behind her and wanting her dad to be near to protect her.”
Another girl, Bella, faces lifelong medical consequences. She was 10 at the time of the attack. Her spleen had to be removed, leaving her vulnerable to infection. Her mum said: “Even a sore throat can lead to something a lot more drastic. We’re still kind of navigating what that’ll look like.” Bella had to undergo skin graft surgery and now has to wear a pressure garment for 23 hours a day and sleeps in a splint. Her mum said: “It makes her quite conscious of how she looks because she does look different now. She's extremely positive – she embraces her scars.”
Systemic Failures and Lack of Support
Several families say their anonymity makes others feel nervous to talk to them about what happened, and has made the public and authorities assume the girls are more recovered than they are. Daisy’s mum said: “It’s given people permission to sort of forget about them a bit. It’s more comfortable to forget that these girls survived because remembering what they went through is really horrendous.”
The families told the BBC how thankful they were for the medical teams who saved their children. Many of the girls regularly fundraise for them, though they are unable to publicly declare their personal reasons for doing so. Their parents say longer-term support – particularly mental health care and school provisions – has been inconsistent and difficult to access. They blame local authorities and the invisibility caused by the anonymity order.
Bella’s mum said: “We’ve never, until very recently, been aware we were able to access a lot of help from the council. From what we understand, there were a lot of other options out there, but we were never told about them because no one knew who we were or where we were.” Daisy’s mum added: “I think that there is a very wide level of confusion over who is taking responsibility for these children and who is supporting them now, but also who is planning for what that might look like in the future. I think we have fallen through the cracks.”
Last month, a public inquiry found that failures by multiple agencies – including responsibility being passed between them – meant clear chances to prevent the attack had been missed. The families now say some of those same public bodies have since let them down when it comes to longer-term support for their daughters. Daisy’s dad said: “The communication between those authorities has been poor. The response should have been more joined up. It shouldn't have been left to the families to try and piece together the support they are getting or not getting.”
Legal and Official Responses
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, of Fletchers Solicitors, which represents 22 of the 23 surviving children, said: “There is no consistency across the group whatsoever. One of the biggest challenges is a lack of understanding around the anonymity order. People are scared to talk about these girls in important rooms, where they need to be represented in order to access support. The order protects these girls and their families publicly, but it should not restrict the services they are entitled to access.”
The Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman, described the parents’ accounts as “deeply concerning”. She said the accounts the families had given echoed what she had been hearing, and that they raised “serious questions about whether people received the kind of support they should reasonably expect after such extreme trauma”. She added: “Trauma and grief do not follow a timetable, and support cannot be one‑size‑fits‑all. It must reflect individual need.”
Sefton Council, the local authority for Southport, said it continued to provide support “to those directly and indirectly affected” by the attack. The council said it had set up a dedicated recovery team to co-ordinate its response with a range of agencies. Lancashire County Council, the neighbouring authority, said it had “reached out to families through local schools and provided support”, adding: “We understand that needs will differ and may change over time and would welcome the chance to meet with families to understand how we can continue to help.”
Community and Resilience
The families said it was only when they began getting together as a group that they had become aware of the disparity in support they had been offered. They now meet regularly and the children have even started dance and pilates classes together. Bella said: “It’s really fun when we dance together, because it feels like we’ve all been through like the same stuff and only us really understand it. It just feels nice to be together.” Charlotte added: “It's funny watching the mums dance. I think my mum did an amazing job doing the cha-cha-cha.”
All the parents said it would be up to their daughters if one day they decide for themselves if they want to reveal their identities. Before that, they want their bravery to be recognised. Charlotte’s dad said: “We want people to know how great our daughter is. First and foremost, we want her to know – and in years to come to see that we’ve told the world how brilliant she is and how utterly in awe we are of her.”
Daisy's dad says his daughter is determined not to be defined by what happened: “This isn't her life, and it won't be her life. She wants to continue living how she did before, with a carefree attitude, where the only thing she really needs to worry about is how long she has to wait for the next Taylor Swift album.”
“They fight so hard every day to just keep going and keep going,” Bethany and Amber’s mum said. “There's so much more to them than the letters and numbers that were given against their name in court.” Bella’s mum added: “All those children are such heroes. Our daughter got herself – critically injured – out of that room and ran for help. They’re all amazing. There's no words to describe little girls doing that.”
