Tearful mothers call for truth at public inquiry for Southport Attack

Tearful mothers of the girls murdered in the Southport attack have called for truth, accountability and change in emotional statements at the public inquiry.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed by Axel Rudakubana, 18, who tried to murder eight other children and two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

Speaking to the Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall on Monday, Bebe’s mother Lauren King, 42, said:

“No statement, no report, no apology will ever bring Bebe back. But this inquiry cannot become another box-ticking exercise.”

Speaking through tears for much of her statement, Mrs King raised her voice as she said:

“The truth must be faced. Accountability must be taken. And real change must be made.

“Because this was preventable. It should never have happened. And no other child, no other family, no other community should ever endure what we now live with every single day.”

Sitting alongside her husband Ben, 43, as she read the statement, Mrs King said they carried Bebe in their hearts every day.

She said:

“But those sitting here today carry a responsibility too,”

“To make sure no other child, no other sister, no other family, ever suffers what ours has suffered.

“Her name was Bebe. She was just six years old. And she deserved so much more. She deserved to live.”

Earlier on Monday, Jenni Stancombe, 37, the mother of Elsie, said:

“I walk past an empty bed every night, I stare into her room praying this nightmare will end, but it never does, we live it every day.

“We are good parents, just like so many others across the country on that day, wanting to do something nice for our little girl at the start of the holidays.

“But instead, we didn’t get to bring her home. We lost everything that day. And I need to understand how this happened.”

She called for a focus on preventing individuals with an intent to cause harm from ever reaching the point of carrying out such acts.

She added:

“We will fight for justice, for change, to keep our children safe, changes need to be made to prevent this from ever happening again.

“This should never have happened in a safe and just society, this cannot happen, no other parent should feel this pain.”

The inquiry also heard a statement from Alice’s mother Alexandra Aguiar, 34, who sat with her husband Sergio Aguiar, 38, as legal representative Christopher Walker read the evidence.

In the statement, she called for those involved in the inquiry to keep the “thought and image of Alice in your minds” throughout the process.

She said:

“She was the most lovable, caring, beautiful, funny little girl you could have ever wished to meet. We as her parents are now broken from our loss and we will suffer with trauma from this for the rest of our lives.”

The inquiry, which sat for two days in July and resumed last week, has heard impact evidence from parents of children who survived the attack, the two dance teachers, Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle, and businessman Jonathan Hayes, who was injured when he confronted Rudakubana.

The first phase of the hearings will examine Rudakubana’s history and his dealings with relevant agencies, along with any missed opportunities to prevent what happened.

The inquiry was adjourned until Tuesday, when an opening statement is expected to be given.

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