On July 29, 2024, what began as a joyful, music-filled afternoon in Southport unraveled into one of the United Kingdom’s most harrowing tragedies in recent memory. A Taylor Swift-themed dance class, packed with excited children, was transformed into a scene of terror when Axel Rudakubana, then 17, entered the Hart Spaces building on Hart Street and began a brutal stabbing spree. Three young girls—Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven—lost their lives. Eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded before the violence finally ended. Now, over a year later, a public inquiry is underway, seeking answers that still elude a grieving community.
The inquiry, held at Liverpool Town Hall and ongoing as of September 11, 2025, has become a focal point for survivors, families, and officials determined to understand how such an atrocity could have occurred—and whether it could have been prevented. Among those who gave testimony was a teenage survivor, identified only as Child C6 to protect her privacy, whose courage and candor have resonated far beyond the courtroom.
Child C6, who was 13 at the time of the attack, described the moments before the horror unfolded. "Our dad dropped us off. It was warm and sunny and felt like it was going to be a perfect day," she told the inquiry, as reported by Sky News. The sense of normalcy evaporated in an instant. She recalled, "At first, there was laughter and excitement but then everything changed—that day turned into a living nightmare."
As Rudakubana entered the dance studio, wearing a green hoodie and a face mask, Child C6 was facing the door. "At first I thought it must be some sort of joke," she said, according to BBC News. But the situation quickly became all too real. "I looked at his eyes. He looked possessed, he didn’t look human. I saw him stab someone in front of me and realised that he was going to hurt us all. Then I saw him coming towards me. It felt like everything slowed down. All I could hear was the screaming. I relive those screams every time I think about what happened."
The violence was swift and devastating. Child C6 was stabbed in the arm and back with such force that her lung collapsed and two bones in her back were broken. She required emergency surgery, a chest drain, and a blood transfusion due to the severity of her injuries. Despite her critical condition, she acted with remarkable composure and bravery. "I reached the door and, on the landing, I screamed for the girls around me to get down the stairs and remember physically pushing them to get them out of the building, to get away," she recounted. "I just kept thinking, 'get them out, get everyone to safety.'"
Her actions likely saved lives, but the psychological toll remains immense. "I will never forget the fear, the panic or the way I felt wondering if we were going to survive," she said. The trauma continues to haunt her: "I still have nightmares. I see him coming towards me. I see him hurting others, I hear the screams, I see the blood. It's like a horror film on repeat." Her little sister, who was also present, has nightmares too, and their parents remain in a state of constant worry.
The inquiry has also heard from the parents of other survivors, some of whom initially believed the attack was staged with "a fake knife and fake blood." One parent, whose daughters survived without physical injuries, shared the emotional aftermath: "This Inquiry matters. It matters for our children, and for every child who was there that day. It matters for every parent who has sat up at night, terrified, knowing how close they came to losing their child. And it matters for those who did lose their children, who we think about and carry in our hearts every single day."
As the inquiry delves deeper, it is examining not just the events of that day, but the broader context—specifically, what was already known about Rudakubana and whether there were missed opportunities to prevent the tragedy. According to Liverpool Echo, the inquiry is reviewing the killer’s history and his contact with various agencies, including the revelation that after the attack, terror-related materials and the toxin ricin were found in his bedroom. Rudakubana, now 19, is serving a minimum 52-year sentence for three murders, ten counts of attempted murder, and terrorism offenses.
Child C6, in her testimony, did not shy away from demanding accountability. "This inquiry has to tell us why this happened, it has to give us answers the criminal trial never could. It must find out all of the answers. Why wasn’t he stopped? There were multiple occasions where this could’ve been prevented. Why did the agencies involved not speak to each other? How many others are out there like him? This can’t happen again." Her words echoed the frustration and grief of many in the community, desperate for assurances that such a tragedy will not be repeated.
The psychological scars for survivors like Child C6 are profound. She described feeling "stuck between two worlds"—isolated from both adults and younger children who experienced the attack. "I feel under so much pressure, like I am stuck between two worlds. I don’t fit with the adults there that day, or with those younger than me. I am somewhere in the middle. I feel isolated, like I don’t fit in anywhere. Recovering can feel incredibly lonely." Dance, once her passion, now brings mixed emotions. "I feel like my passion for dance has been lost, but I have tried not to let him take that from me," she said. "I am slowly learning to love dancing again."
The inquiry’s chairman, Sir Adrian Fulford, commended Child C6 for her bravery and clarity, telling her, "Very well and bravely done." The hearings are expected to continue, with testimony from the families of the slain girls scheduled in the coming days. Outside the inquiry, the community’s grief is palpable. Flowers, stuffed toys, balloons, and cards still line the garden wall near the scene of the attacks—a silent testament to the lives lost and the innocence shattered.
As the inquiry seeks to unravel the failures and missed signals that allowed Rudakubana’s violence to go unchecked, survivors and families hope for more than just answers. They want meaningful change—so that no other child, parent, or community will have to endure such pain again.
