Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Sunday, 26th January 2025, at 18:30hrs
Horror struck last summer when evil monster rampaged through community hub at the start of the summer holidays in Southport killing three young girls and injuring many others
Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddel had organised the dance class at the Hart Space community hub for 26 young girls who were enjoying a morning of dance yoga, a Taylor Swift themed class and making friendship bracelets before horror struck on Monday 29th July.
Both tried their best to shield the children with leanne sustaining stab wounds as she used her body to shield the young girls.
Heidi managed to lock herself inside a toilet with one of the girls fearing for their lives.
In a victim impact statement Leanne Lucas said:
“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.
On behalf of Heidi Liddel’s victim statement and for the prosecution, Ms. Heer said:
“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.”
Rudakubana, 18 was handed thirteen life sentences at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday and must serve a minimum of 52 years before being eligible for parole. Judge Mr Justice Goose said it is very unlikely he will ever be released.
The government has also ordered an inquiry into the case which will take place in due course.
We will always remember Alice Da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King.
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