Victim impact statements read out in court at sentencing hearing

Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Thursday, 23rd January 2025, at 16:00hrs

Liverpool Crown Court have been hearing impact statements from both the victims in this horrific attack and their families. You can see those in full below.

Child C’s father – “Our daughter is everything Axel Rudakubana is not”

“As a family, we have been asked if there is anything that we would like to say regarding how the events on 29th July 2024 have affected us, and we would like to say the following:

“We asked our daughter, who was aged 9 on the 29th of July, to explain the impact the events have had on her: ‘It has been very hard to deal with what happened to me at Hart Space. I struggle with my emotions, and I have scars that I know will be with me forever, but I want to look forward.

“When people in school asked me,’do you wish you weren’t there that day?’ I said that, in some ways, I wish I wasn’t, but also, if I wasn’t there, someone else would have been stabbed and they could have died, so I’m glad I might have stopped someone else getting hurt. These are not the words that any little girl, who just liked yoga and making bracelets, should ever need to say.

“Her words both horrify us and make us immeasurably proud. Our daughter is strong. Our daughter is positive. Our daughter is brave. Our daughter is beautiful. Our daughter loves and is loved. Our daughter sees the best in everyone. Our daughter is everything that Axel Rudakubana is not. She is our hero.

Yoga teacher Leannne Lucas- ‘He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey’

“As a 36 year old woman, I can not stay in my own home alone. As a 36 year old woman, I can not go to work. As a 36 year old woman, I can not walk down the street without holding my breath as I bypass a person and then glance back to see if they’ve attempted to stab me. As a 36 year old woman, I can not enter a public place without considering how I will get out in the event of an emergency.

“As a 36 year old woman, I can not give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died. There was a long period of time after the incident where I felt I had no trust in society. I am trying to see the goodness in the world. However, the badness has been evidently proven to me to exist, in plain sight, on our doorsteps, in our community.

“You never think this is going to happen to you, I never thought this was going to happen to me and now my mindset has been altered to it could happen to you and it will probably happen to you. I feel that I have lost the ability to accept people now as they are. I worked with teenagers, and I never would have considered that they would hurt me or hurt younger children. I spent many months thinking about the incident 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just when I felt I could settle and try to move forward, the trauma of that day is now back at the forefront.

“I constantly see his face; new memories have appeared, and this will continue to happen for the rest of my life. My role in Southport was to help others, mainly children and their families. My work was a safe haven for those who needed it the most. All I wanted to do was make a positive impact and highlight goodness and positivity.

“Families felt a part of a community I had built, from scratch, being self-employed. I have now lost my role, my purpose, and my job as I can no longer provide that guidance and reassurance to anyone. I feel like I can no longer be trusted again. I know people will disagree and say that is not true. However, his actions have proven I can never feel that level of responsibility again where there may be dangers to others. On that day, I received several injuries that have not only affected me physically but also mentally. I, as do the girls, have scars we cannot unsee, scars we can not move on from.

“Visual daily reminders of not only what he has done to us, but a stark reminder of what others can still do to us. I endured three hospital stays where I undertook multiple surgeries and received treatment for my injuries. At a time when home comforts may have helped me, I sat staring at hospital walls, further impacting my mental health. My family and friends suffered during this whole period of time, not being able to process what he had done because they were sat by my bedside, trying to support me.

“The trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous. There are times when I will spiral into trauma, and the effect this has had on those close to me is unforgivable. The impact this has had on me can be summed up by one word: trauma. He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey. To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible. For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi, and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.

Child F 14-year-old girl victim- “Give me a reason for what you did. Arming yourself with a weapon and stabbing children. I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you’re a coward”

“I agreed to go to help Heidi and Leanne take pictures of the girls having a brilliant time. I remember it being sunny and warm. That day turned into a living nightmare.

“The dance club was full of laughter and excitement all morning with the girls full of life. The beginning of my nightmare started when I saw you. I thought you were playing a joke. I saw you in your green hoody and face mask. The first thing I remember most about you is your eyes. You didn’t look human. You looked possessed.

“I watched you stab someone, and then I saw you coming for me. It was like slow motion. You stabbed me in the arm, and instinctively, I turned, and that’s when you continued to stab me in the back, although I didn’t feel it at the time. All I could hear was the screams.

I was so scared of what you were doing, and I was in a blind panic. I ran out onto the landing, and there was a group of girls huddled, and I began just screaming for the girls to get down the stairs. I remember I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get them out of the building and get away from you. I knew I was running for my life. I needed to try to get everyone out and to safety. That was my first thought.

“When we were in the car park, I remember thinking that we needed to get away as you weren’t going to stop, I knew from your eyes you wanted to try to kill us all.”

“Once I was safe, I asked, “Am I going to die?…I stayed in hospital for a week, but even when I got home, the road to recovery was so long. I couldn’t go out with my friends like I would have done with it being the summer holidays. I couldn’t dance for months, I was simply too exhausted.

“I was just so scared and constantly reliving what you did. As a person, I feel different. This life changing event has happened to us, and I’m living with the consequences of it every day.

“My first day back at school was awful. People wouldn’t speak to me. They felt awkward. They didn’t know what to say. I felt lonely with no one my age to talk to about it. I

“ I have time out of lessons because my mind wanders back to that day, and I can’t focus. I have too much on my mind, and that’s not right for a 14-year-old.”

“My parents are stressed and worried for our future. Things about the incident pop up on social media all the time – I feel like I can’t get away from it. Even when I’m at home and I’m safe, it means that I feel like I’m mentally still there and experiencing it.

“Physically I’ve healed, but my scars remain as a reminder of what you did to me, to us all. We are lucky we got to come home. Your actions mean that Alice, Bebe, and Elsie didn’t.

No sane person could do that. It’s sickening what you did, going in there, knowing you’re going into a room full of defenceless children. Give me a reason for what you did. Arming yourself with a weapon and stabbing children. I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you’re a coward.

“ I was in school, and I found out through the teachers that you pleaded guilty. I didn’t know what to say. I was so angry; I was still so angry. I feel like this whole time, we have had this build up of stress and anxiety preparing for the trial, and then you just changed your mind.

“Some of us are physically getting better, but we will all have to live with the mental pain from that day forever.

I want you to know that you changed our lives forever, but whilst you live behind bars alone, I will make sure that our family will do our best to move forward.”

Alice’s parents – Alexandra and Sergio – “We will miss our perfect baby girl forever”

“It’s hard to state the impact this has had on us without telling you a bit of who we were before the most tragic day of our lives. This exact day, six months ago, we were a small family of three; Alex, Sergio, and Alice – a happily married couple with a wonderful 9-year-old daughter. Alice was born on the 15th of October 2014 to complete our world. Alice was the best baby anyone could have as a first-time parent; she slept long nights, peacefully quiet, and always smiley.

“Sometimes, it didn’t feel like we had a baby at home. As she grew up, we really took notice of what a wonderful girl she was turning out to be. Alice was always a very kind girl who valued equality and fairness at the core. A world of possibilities awaited her, a best friend anyone could ask for, We were so lucky and privileged to have her. Every day felt like a gift.

Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every way; she loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens, and friendship bracelets. She loved Taylor Swift, Billie Eillish, and Sabrina Carpenter. She was a strong and confident preteen with a world of dreams and unlimited potential. We just wanted to see her happy, and that was the easiest job in the world. Our bond was very strong, the love in the family was pure, and life was bliss.

“We were going to surprise Alice with a trip to Disneyland in October so we didn’t have any summer plans but still wanted to make sure Alice had a good summer and was not getting bored at home. That particular Monday, a hot day in July, Alice woke up really excited to go to the workshop in the morning and to her friends to play in the garden and pool in the afternoon. It was a perfect plan for a perfect day. She did enjoy her dance workshop, and her happiness was evident everywhere. We’ve seen it. This was the perfect start to her beautiful day, but also the worst.

“In a matter of minutes, our worlds were shattered and turned upside down by the devastating attack on our Alice. A pin drop that changed our lives forever. We kept our hopes up every second during Alice’s 14-hour fight, but once she had lost her fight, we lost our lives. Everything stopped still, and we froze in time and space. Our life went with her. He took us, too. Six months of continuous pain and a lifetime sentence of it. That’s what we got then and the life we live now.

Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls. We’re heartbroken that we can never help Alice fulfil her dreams. We can’t hug her anymore, brush her hair, and take her to school through her beloved Botanic Gardens. We can no longer wake up with Alice’s happy smile, being playful, or get a morning kiss and hug from her.

“The simple joys of life can no longer be enjoyed because it feels like there’s no point. Mum often thinks about going to meet her or hope that life is shortened so they can be together again. These thoughts have played on mum’s mind time and time again, and we would do anything to hold Alice one more time. Cooking brings out fear sometimes. Especially when Mum’s holding a knife and the thought seems so tempting. We used to cook for three but now I only cook for two and it doesn’t seem right. Our only child. She was everything for us.

“It feels like we’re stuck in a 5D horror movie with moving pictures and moments being relived. It has fear, anxiety, loss, and terror all over it, and it’s playing on loop. We can’t get out. Some moments are easier than others, but every day is the same. Alice is not here when we wake up, and she will never be.

“There’s a sense of loss of foundation too. Alice was our purpose for living, so what do we do now? Our home holds family memories, and sometimes we call Alice’s name only to be met by a shot to the heart, known grief. Grief has taken away any sense of meaning we once had and replaced by constant numbness. It’s hard to feel happy, enjoy the music, and see the good in life when the centre of our universe has been taken. Going out doesn’t feel as safe, and any attempts to lighten up, a smile and a laugh are quickly met by regret and guilt. How can we ever smile if Alice is not here?

“Our house is no longer a home without Alice in it. Walking past her room often brings a sense of panic and fear. We struggle every day not having her there or in our room watching Disney movies in our bed. The garden reminds us of Alice. We’ve barely been there since this all happened. Mum can’t use the toilet at night without dad there because the darkness is so frightening.

There’s this sense that someone’s there to hurt us again. Staying at home alone is hard, and mum often starts crying in despair for Alice’s absence. Mum currently relies on friends to stay with her or will make plans to go stay with them when dad’s not there. How do we move on to integrate back to our old lives? We now doubt our own safety and well-being everywhere we go. Where will mum go when dad goes back to work? How can dad go to work knowing how mum is coping?

“We can not look forward to the future, and even day by day, living seems hard. Feels like we’re living minute by minute. It’s impossible to look forward to a future. In our minds, we simply can not envision us in five or ten years’ time. Not without Alice. We have not been able to work over the past six months, something we’ve not done in over fourteen years. Working is important for us. We both enjoy it, we take pride in it, and we are both respected in our positions. Friends say we now need to find ourselves again and a new purpose, but we’ve never been who we are now and the dark shadow that follows us reminds everyday that we will forever struggle to find a light and peace again.

“We have a good support system of family and friends around us. Families whose children were so close to Alice; raised side by side, grew up together, and enjoyed many moments of pure child happiness. How can we look forward to a future where we watch them grow up and thrive, but not Alice? They, too, have suffered mental torment, anxiety, and PTSD from that day onwards. Most have not seen footage or Alice the way we did, and we’re thankful for that. Those images are haunting and left a debilitating scar to the soul. Whilst we will focus on our healing journey, nothing will ever erase them. Seeing Alice like that a few hours after saying goodbye, seeing her laying there at Alder Hey. It will always hurt, and it will always haunt us.

“Relationships with our loved ones have changed, but we totally lost our very own sense of self. How do we come back from that? How do we build ourselves again when its foundations have vanished? Mum and dad have always been a strong couple, but now it doesn’t feel enough. There’s a part of us missing. It’s been difficult to open, trust, and believe this will ever get better. It simply can’t. We have Alice’s belongings and will cherish them along with the memories, but her absence will be felt forever.

“We will miss Alice forever. Her energy, contagious smile, assertive confidence, and undeterred determination to find herself grow into herself. She was brilliant. She was our everything, so how can we make anything else matter? Every family or seasonal occasion has been so painful; Alice’s birthday, Halloween (her favourite holiday), Christmas, and New Year. It doesn’t seem right; we’ve not even opened presents because we know nothing can really bring us joy.

Our daily habits, waking up in the morning without her smile and love. Coming back from work and hearing her say Ola Papa or Ola Mama, our ‘see you later alligator’ and the ‘in a while crocodiles’. When we drive in the car, we can’t play music aloud. Listening to music does not feel the same without her, so we don’t. Living life without Alice is not living at all. It’s a state of permanent numbness. We can’t see her pictures or videos; they take us back to a time when we were so happy, and now we’re in that constant pain. We have her clothes, her teddies and other belongings.

“We will keep them safe and often hug them when we miss Alice. We also have the cat to hug. Alice’s cat. Niko misses her so much. We all do and will miss our perfect baby girl forever.”

Elsies mum – “Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honour her memory”

“That day we lost our beloved daughter; [our other daughter] lost her big sister and the three of us lost our best friend. But we are not going to stand here and list everything you have taken away from us, because we refuse to give you the satisfaction of hearing it. We will not let you know anything about her because you don’t deserve to know the extraordinary person she was.

“You know what you have done, and we hope the weight of that knowledge haunts you every single day. The nature of your actions is beyond contempt. You deliberately chose that place, fully aware that there would be no parents present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. This was not an act of impulse; it was premeditated. You chose that place, that time, and those circumstances, knowing that when we arrived, all we would see was the aftermath of the devastation caused. We were robbed of the opportunity to protect our girls. If we had been there, this would never have happened, and the outcome would have been vastly different. What you did was not only cruel and pure evil; it was the act of a coward.

“Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honour her memory, we will carry her love, positivity and her legacy forward, no matter how much pain you have caused.”

Ms Heer on behalf of Heidi Liddle – “I had night terrors, and my mind would overthink everything and every time I closed my eyes, I pictured him. I had learnt to deal with the imaginary killer who was coming for me”

“After the incident happened, I was dropped off at home without any professional support. I felt completely cut off from everything and felt completely helpless as I didn’t know how many children were hurt or where they were and if I could help at all. The police had taken my mobile phone for evidence and so I couldn’t contact anyone or find out what was going on. I felt isolated from everyone as I felt like I couldn’t leave my home. I was in tears constantly and didn’t feel safe in my own home.

“It got to the point that the front and back door had to remain locked at all times, however all of the doors inside of the house had to be left open as I found it difficult to be in enclosed spaces and I was petrified of what would be on the other side of the door. The only time I left the house in the coming weeks was to go and see Leanne and the girls at hospital or to attend the funerals of the three girls, which was heartbreaking. I replayed the incident over and over in my mind, changing the sequence of events so that myself and the little girl I was with in the toilet, were stabbed and killed.

“I struggled with everyday things, like letting the dogs out, doing any activity that involved me being hunched over, such as hoovering, drying my hair and putting my daughter to bed in her cot, as I visioned him coming behind me and stabbing me in the back. At the start, I felt like I had to be there for everybody and didn’t consider my own feelings and needs. I couldn’t sit in silence, I couldn’t be on my own for the first month. I couldn’t go to the toilet on my own whether at home or out in public. I didn’t trust anyone or their behaviour and would see the most horrific things in my mind, thinking that a person who may have been near us whilst out, would come and stab us all.

“I carried so much guilt thinking that I could have done more and reacted in a different way. I thought that everyone hated me and that no one would trust me to look after their children again. I thought that I would get the blame from the public or the parents of the children blaming me for their child being seriously hurt or killed.

“The comments that have been directed towards me online which have been false information, have only added to my psychological trauma. I’m already going through the trauma of witnessing and hearing the events that went on that day, the added abuse only makes matters worse. I hated going to sleep, every time I closed my eyes I saw the girls inside the room at Hart Space. I had night terrors, and my mind would overthink everything and every time I closed my eyes, I pictured him. I had learnt to deal with the imaginary killer who was coming for me.

If ever I had to speak about the incident I would have a panic attack in which I would gasp for air. I hated to go out, as everyone looked at me, but also I didn’t want to be addressed by anyone either. I couldn’t have any knives out on the side in my kitchen, as I started to think that maybe I should feel what the pain was like to be stabbed, as I struggled mentally with not being physically injured and felt guilty for this. I wanted to remove those intrusive thoughts and so all knives were constantly put away.

“Putting my daughter to sleep was a traumatic event. What is meant to be a calm, nurturing activity, became very difficult. I would have to sit in the dark, which I was terrified of, so I would leave the landing light on and either my husband or my mum would be sat on the other side of the door.

“My panic attacks are now different, they have become more frequent the closer we got to potentially going to trial and I feel paralysed from the neck up. I am in absolute physical pain and I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the chest straight through to my back.

“I have been receiving counselling for my trauma which I feel has helped. I am very grateful for all the support that I have got but I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near the end of this journey.”

Ms Heer says: “She says as far as work is concerned, she associates her workspace with the incident. She worries about the lack of trust from parents and her ability to do the work she used to do. She describes the impact on her family and young daughter. Heidi couldn’t give her the attention she needed. She felt guilty that she had a child that was still alive.”

The statement added: “My family have been my support system, but who is there to lift them up when they need it?”

Ms Heer finishes: “She’s been unable to work since and is unsure when she will be able to go back to work.”

Ms Heer on behalf of Child A,s parents – “He has completely failed to destroy her spirit, her amazing sense of humour, her fierceness and her pure, beautiful heart. We are honoured to be her parents”

On July 29th I dropped my seven-year-old daughter and her best friend off at a dance workshop. A couple of hours later my husband texted me. He thought there may have been a car accident because the entrance to the car park where he was picking the girls up from was blocked.

“I could never have imagined what would come next. He called me, someone had a knife, and he couldn’t find [Child A]. Our world collapsed in that moment and we are still trying to rebuild it. I remained on the phone to him as he frantically searched for [Child A] and her friend. He was sent to a house that some of the girls had been taken too. Her best friend was there. She told him that the man had dragged [Child A] back inside. She hadn’t got away.

“He went back to the car park and the chaos. There were children lying on the floor receiving help. He talks of it now like a warzone. I know he is completely traumatised by what he experienced that day. He is broken by it.

“He asked me what she was wearing as he searched for her. There was a girl on the ground who was wearing the same clothes as [Child A], lying on the floor whilst members of the public tried to get a paramedic to her. She was so horrifically injured that he wasn’t sure if it was her. He had to ask this little girl if she had a brother, and what his name was. She answered. It was [Child A]. Laying on the floor bleeding out from her arms and back. Her beautiful long blonde hair was covered in so much blood it looked brown and her daddy couldn’t recognise her. This is one of many, many moments that tortures both of us.

“He stayed on the phone to me, I was hysterical. I tried to leave the house to get to them. Collapsing on the driveway when he told me she had three stab wounds to her arm. We never could have imagined that this number would continue to rise in hospital. Three, seven, twelve, fifteen plus. Around twenty, twenty-seven. We kept trying to add the numbers up as all of her surgeons visited her bedside to talk to us.

“[Child A] was flown by air ambulance to Alder Hey with [her dad] by her side. When I arrived she had just been sedated for surgery. She lay there on the table and we were asked to go and see her. We knew that we were being told to do this because she was very poorly and she might not survive. We now know we were minutes from losing her in that room. Child A received almost her entire blood volume through transfusions. Think about that for a moment. She lost so much blood; she was given almost her entire blood volume back through transfusions.

I kissed her head and told her to be brave and fight hard, I said we would be back together really soon. We begged the doctors to save our baby girl and then sat helpless in a room waiting for over seven hours whilst she had lifesaving surgery on multiple stab wounds. She was in ICU for four days and had a second six-hour surgery the second day to try and save the use of her arms, hands and fingers. Ventilated, she was pumped with drug after drug. Fentanyl, Morphine, Adrenaline, Midazolam, antibiotics. Connected to multiple machines, with two chest drains inserted, a catheter, a feeding tube and eight cannulas. She was barely recognisable. Her body swollen with fluid, bruised and covered in dried blood. Her back, arms and shoulders bandaged; it was a horror show.

“Her hair was so matted with blood I tried to brush it. The stench of dried blood in her hair will haunt me forever. I will never forget that smell. When she woke up she lunged forward and reached her arms out – reaching for her best friend.

“Waking in hospital but still believing she was in danger, trying to get to her best friend. They were separated in the most terrifying way as he attacked Child A for the first time at the top of the stairs. Child A told her friend to run and find her Daddy, who she knew was coming to pick them up. She woke up still trying to grab on to her best friend. Still trying to escape him. Still trying to run.

She tells us how she thought it was a prank and when he approached her with the knife upstairs, she told him she ‘didn’t want one’- she ‘didn’t want to play’. – But he attacked her. In hospital she asked me repeatedly when she was going to die. I had to tell her she was going to be okay, over and over. She knew how injured she was. She remembers not being able to breathe, lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Somehow she knew she needed to find help.

“Staggeringly she stood up. With over thirty stab wounds to her tiny little body and she walked out of that building herself. He left her for dead in a lifeless pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs and she stood up, at seven years old, and saved herself.

“We talk about the person who did this. She asks if he has a family, if they are angry with him. If they forgive him. She asks me if I feel sad for him, or sad about what he has done. I struggle to comprehend how she is able to ask such mature questions. She has survived this horror but now lives every moment of her life affected by it. Questioning why. Why did this happen to her?

“Over thirty stab wounds. Permanent, horrific scars on her body that she will have for the rest of her life. She tells me ‘I don’t know who I am anymore’ – No more crop tops, no more short sleeved t- shirts. No more swimwear, no more summer dresses. Our confident, happy, beautiful little dancer now has to sit three times a day whilst we care for her scars. In the hope that one day, when she wants to choose a wedding dress, or party dress for her 18th birthday, that they may have faded a little. That the nightmare they represent will have somehow been committed to memory and the visible signs won’t be there anymore. But the reality when she asks me, ‘when will my scars go, Mummy?’. They won’t, she will have every single scar forever. On her body and in her mind – and we have a lifelong battle now to help her come to terms with that.”

Ms Heer says: “She talks about her daughter suffering from flashbacks. She wonders whether she could have done more.” Ms Heer says the statement expresses concern about the horror Child A witnessed. She says “her entire childhood has been destroyed by what she experienced and although she survived, she now has to carry that with her for the rest of her life”.

The statement continues: “This person has abused his power as an adult in the most extreme of ways to exert planned, sustained and unimaginable horror over the most powerless in our society, our children. He has exposed them (and all of our families) to a relentless media and social reaction that has been such a heavy burden to bear on top of everything else. He could have made this better by offering some explanation or taken some accountability. He has chosen not to.”

Ms Heer says the statement says Child A is back at school, back at dance class, back swimming and is working with a psychologist. The statement finishes: We could never be prouder of what she has achieved. He has completely failed to destroy her spirit, her amazing sense of humour, her fierceness and her pure, beautiful heart. We are honoured to be her parents.”

Ms Heer on behalf of Child E – “I think about all the other children that were there and I feel guilty that I wasn’t able to help the children that died and I think was there anything I could have done to help them”

I first thought that the man who stabbed me was a cleaner and when I saw him and what was happening I thought it was a prank. I realised it wasn’t a prank when I saw blood coming out of me. I remember everything being fuzzy and everything that was going through my mind was about my family and friends. I was thinking ‘I don’t want to die, I have got to get out of here’.

“When I was outside of the building I was thinking what I am going to do as my phone was inside and I didn’t know who I could call. I had so much blood coming out of me and I was trying to scream but I was struggling to scream. I was so scared and worried but there are no words to really describe what happened on that day.

“When I got to my mum’s car I was worried that my sister was going to see what had happened to me and all the blood. I was thinking to myself “I am going to die” I didn’t think I would make it with the amount of blood coming out of me. Mum was telling me I would be ok but I kept thinking she was lying to me as I was in so much pain and there was so much blood. Mum was screaming, I remember everything that happened with the paramedic and then going to hospital in the air ambulance.

“Everything was going through my mind, why had this happened and was this man still out there. I was holding my mum’s hand and I just felt heavy and sick. I went to Manchester Children’s Hospital and I was so scared. It still didn’t feel real to me how it could be real as it was so wrong, even though I was in so much pain. My entire body was in pain. I was in hospital for 12 days and at night I kept waking up with nightmares. I kept thinking someone would get into my room. I would wake up in a panic but my mum and family were always with me.

“I was scared about what was happening to me in hospital. I didn’t want to tell my mum at first what I had seen as I didn’t want her to worry, and if I died, I wanted her to live her life without her knowing about it so I told the trauma nurse. I know that I had knife wounds and needed to have my spleen removed and I now wear a pressure garment on my arm that I will have to wear for two years due to a skin graft. My lung also collapsed. I still had lots of appointments at the hospital when I came out and I still need to get checked for my diaphragm, lung and immunology because my spleen was removed. I have a scar on my tummy and two scars on my back and one on my side from the attack and treatment. I worry if I get sick I may end up in hospital as my immune system isn’t the same.

“Now when I go to public places I need to be surrounded by my family to feel safe, If I see any one who looks like him or wearing a green top I feel worried and scared. I get upset in busy places. I still have nightmares once or twice a week where I replay what happened and wake up and feel a bit on edge. I think all the time what if my friends had been there or my younger sister and I worry if I would have been able to save them.

“I think about all the other children that were there and I feel guilty that I wasn’t able to help the children that died and I think was there anything I could have done to help them. What has happened to me is on my mind everyday, I go over what happened and I feel sad and generally scared.

“I am trying to think about my future in a positive way and as a family we have set up a charity to raise money for the air ambulance who saved my life and for Ronald McDonald who allowed my family to be closer to me and make me feel safer.”

Ms Heer on behalf of Child E’s mother and partner- “I could see her legs were covered in blood although my first thought was it was make-up or special effects”

“In July 2024, our lives changed forever. Child E is a big Taylor Swift fan and we couldn’t get tickets for her concert in Liverpool last year so when I saw an advert for this I got Child E a ticket to go. She didn’t know anybody else that was going but she’s confident and this didn’t phase her.

“On the morning, I dropped Child E off at Hart Space just before 10am. I had my younger daughter in the car also. I returned back to the Hart Space and parked on Hart Street to wait for Child E to finish the event.

“I saw a black male wearing a green hoodie and face mask speaking to some mechanics at a garage and it looked a bit heated so I wound the car window up. Something about the way he was acting unnerved me. I didn’t see which direction he then went in.

Within a few minutes, I heard screaming. At first I thought it was from a school playground but then I heard more screaming, I turned around and saw a number of girls running down Hart Street. I then saw Child E, I could see her legs were covered in blood although my first thought was it was make-up or special effects. Child E ran past the car as she hadn’t seen me parked up, so I shouted at her, she got in the front passenger seat and was saying she had been stabbed. She almost immediately slumped forward and turned yellow. I could see had a stab wound on her back which was bleeding profusely. I phoned 999.”

Ms Heer says: “She tried to drive away from the danger. Her daughter told her she couldn’t breathe and she didn’t want to die. She describes how Child E went into surgery for about six hours

The statement added: “ It was horrendous, we didn’t know if Child E was going to survive. We then started seeing all the news about it. Thankfully, the doctors saved her. We stayed with Child E for the next few days whilst she was still on the High Dependency Unit. We were so scared about what might happen as Child E was still critical. We couldn’t go to work. We relied heavily on family and friends. So much of the community wanted to help or drop food off for us. Child E was in hospital for 2 weeks.”

Child E’s step-dad “describes recalling a phone call and the chaos he found when he got there”.

Ms Heer says: “He went to the hospital and he also describes how horrendous it was not knowing what was going to happen when she was taken into surgery and seeing her full of wires and in pain. He also speaks of his fear for his family’s safety. He’s become scared in a way he wasn’t before and is constantly hypervigilant when he’s out with the children.”

Child B & Child G mothers statement -It’s strange to feel lucky, but in this situation we are because we have our children, despite the issues we are facing on a daily basis, we can love and support our children, and three families do not have that opportunity’

On Monday 29th July, Child B and Child G were involved in a tragic incident, whereby they were victims of attempted murder at The Hart Space in Southport, this day changed our lives as a family forever.

“[The children’s dad] dropped our children off that morning for a Taylor Swift themed dance class. This was meant to be a fun summer event, and the girls couldn’t wait to take part. It was a normal day, like any other, it didn’t cross our minds that we should be worried about anything happening to them. They both love Taylor Swift and were looking forward to spending time with their friends and the teachers.

“What followed will stay with myself, [the children’s dad], and the rest of our family forever. The whole day feels so surreal, like a blur. It was the worst days of our lives. Both our daughters suffered horrendous injuries at the hands of this one person. They are on the road to recovery, both physically and mentally, but I know this is going to take a long time for us as a family to heal.

“The girls are resilient, and physically they are in a much better place today, however the injuries they sustained still affect them. We always laughed and joked about Child G being a ‘wild’ child, but her whole demeanour has changed, she has a complete lack of confidence. When I am getting her dressed, she immediately grabs her t-shirt and wants me to put it on, she has become severely self- conscious of her scar. As a parent, to watch your child’s confidence disappear overnight is heartbreaking.

“Child B sustained various stab wounds, she has scars all over the top half of her body and her arm. She tries her best to wear her scars with pride, however I have caught her crying about the way she looks, and she asks me why this has happened to her. As a mother, I want to give her all the answers, but I can’t, I also cannot come to terms with how this has happened to her.

“We worry as parents that the injuries they sustained, especially Child B are going to have a lasting effect on them. We have been told by a consultant that Child B’s injuries are life changing and we will not know the full extent of them until she is older. Although the children have been affected physically, the psychological effect is the hardest to manage and navigate as parents.

“Since the incident, both girls haven’t been able to be alone at any point. One child shares a bed with me and the other shares a bed with [the children’s dad], as they are unable to be left alone for even a matter of minutes. Since being released from the hospital, Child G wakes up most nights due to night terrors, and it is hard for us to calm her down, she’s scared of going to sleep at times. Both Child B and Child G are in a state of paranoia constantly, and they cannot leave our side.

“They feel unsafe in the house if a male is not present. We are unable to walk to school without one child feeling scared or apprehensive. Child G is conscious of how she is positioned in a room, as she will not sit with her back to the door. Both girls will not get into the car if it is dark outside. They won’t go into their own home if every light isn’t on. Whilst in the house or in bed, any slight noise can alarm them, and I can see the panic on their faces.

“They struggle with simple things that wouldn’t have been a problem before, like taking a shower or brushing their teeth on their own. These are all things we are battling daily as a family because one person decided to take away their independence. They have gone back in their shell, and it’s like having two babies again.

“As parents, we feel helpless, we feel guilty. We have to live with the guilt that we sent our children to that event on that day, which will now impact them for the rest of their life. However, in the next breath we must remind ourselves that they were at the right place at the right time, doing what children should be doing, and enjoying life. This person has taken that right away from them.

Trust has broken between us and our children, they constantly question us about whether they are going to be safe, it feels as though they blame us for taking them there that day. [The children’s dad] has not returned to work since the incident occurred, and this is because he is unable to. For the first month when the children returned to school, [the children’s dad] had to sit in the library at the school so the girls were comfortable enough to go to their lessons.

“He would sit there all day. When we made the transition of the girls attending school without a parent, we would receive phone calls on a daily basis from the teachers about how they were too anxious to carry on with lessons. There was days we had to attend the school just to give the children a hug and reassure them that they were safe. This has had a huge financial impact on the family with [the children’s dad] not working.

“We worry that this will impact them throughout their life, when in relationships, building new friendships, having children of their own or just ever trusting another person again. Child B and Child G are worried that this man will walk the streets again, this is something they constantly speak about, and it petrifies them.

It’s strange to feel lucky, but in this situation we are because we have our children, despite the issues we are facing on a daily basis, we can love and support our children, and three families do not have that opportunity.”

Statement read on behalf of Child X’s mother – “I can only imagine how an 8-year-old felt being on the other side of that thin door hearing the screams of the other children as they escaped followed by the attacker trying his best to get in to kill them”

On 29th July 2024 our family were victims of the most heinous crime. It started as a normal day when I dropped my daughter Child X off at a Taylor Swift yoga and crafting day. We were running a little late and I remember I didn’t say a proper goodbye to her, she just ran through the door to start the day with two of her friends.

“When I arrived later to collect her, I arrived to chaos. I abandoned my car and ran to find one of the event leaders, Leanne, covered in cuts and blood and saying, ‘he just came in and stabbed us’.

“At this point there were no emergency services present. As I approached the house where the kids ran to for safety, all I could hear were screams. My daughter wasn’t there, and it quickly became apparent she was still in the building with the knifeman. At this point, time stood still and everything moved in slow motion. I ran towards the building and screamed her name. My stomach dropped to my knees and I felt sick. I now relive this feeling daily. It often means I cannot eat. A lot of my hair has fallen out which I am told is due to the trauma my body experienced on that day.

“Following the arrival of the emergency services, I ran into the building after them to be with my daughter who I already believed was seriously injured or dead. The police told me I couldn’t go in the room. I left the building believing Child X was dead and had to make the call to my parents, hysterically telling them Child X was dead. I cannot begin to imagine how that must have felt for them but I know that’s something they relive.

“To my relief I turned around while I was on that call and saw Child X standing there with the other event leader, Heidi. Heidi had saved my girl that day by following her to the toilet after Child X headed there instead of down the stairs and out the door with the other children. She shielded the toilet door whilst the attacker tried to get in. I owe everything to Heidi for having the foresight to protect my daughter. I can only imagine how an 8-year-old felt being on the other side of that thin door hearing the screams of the other children as they escaped followed by the attacker trying his best to get in to kill them. She then heard the noise of the police entering the building.

“We all relive those 20 minutes when we believed she wasn’t coming home and we’re fully aware of how close we came to that happening. We will live with those feelings forever.”