A coroner has formally opened the inquests into the deaths of three girls who were stabbed to death in Southport last week and has offered her “deepest condolences” to their families.
Bebe King, who was six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe died of their injuries after the incident at the Hart Space in Southport on July 29.
The senior coroner for Sefton, St Helens and Knowsley, Julie Goulding, said: “The three young children were full of life and energy and will be missed beyond any description my woefully inadequate words may attempt to describe.”
“I therefore offer my deepest condolences to Elsie’s, Bebe’s and Alice’s parents, families and friends, and those heartfelt condolences of all of my staff here at the coroner’s court,” she added during a brief hearing at Bootle Town Hall in Liverpool on Wednesday.
Axel Rudakubana, whose 18th birthday was on Wednesday, has been charged with the murder of the three girls and the attempted murder of 10 others, both adults and children.
Coroner Describes ‘Truly Tragic Events’
Goulding said, “It is impossible to adequately articulate the devastating, lifelong effects the truly tragic events of Monday, July 29, 2024 have had, and will continue to have, on the parents, families and friends of Elsie, Bebe and Alice, who cruelly lost their young lives in such horrific circumstances.”
She said the opening of the inquests was a “short, sombre, formal process.”
Coroner’s officer James Martindale told the hearing: “On Monday July 29, shortly before 10 a.m., a group of 26 children, including Elsie, attended a dance yoga studio at Northwood Business Park, 32-34 Hart Street, Southport, for an organised dance party.”
“At some time between 11:40 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. a male, who has now been identified as Axel Rudakubana, attended the premises and is then alleged to have started attacking those present,” he added.
“Three children tragically died and others, children and adult, were injured, some critically,” added Martindale, who repeated the process for the two other girls.
He said Bebe was the first to be pronounced dead, at 1:05 p.m.
Martindale said Elsie’s death was pronounced at 1:53 p.m. and he said both girls were identified by police officers based on photographs and descriptions of the clothes they were wearing.
Alice was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m. the following day at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and she was identified by her father, Sergio Aguiar.
None of the children’s relatives were present at the hearing, which lasted for only 15 minutes.
Five other girls and two adults were seriously injured in the attack.
Riots Broke Out Following Murders
Riots broke out in the wake of the attack after a rumour spread on the attack that the perpetrator had been a Muslim illegal immigrant called Ali Al-Shakati.The disinformation, which was spread by social media, suggested the killer had arrived in Britain on one of the small boats across the English Channel and had been on an MI6 watchlist.
Rudakubana’s father is from Rwanda but he himself was born in Cardiff, before moving to the village of Banks in Lancashire.
Protests in Southport and Liverpool turned into riots and spread to Hartlepool, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Hull, Rotherham and Belfast in the days that followed.
About 400 people have been arrested across the country and several have already pleaded guilty to violent disorder or other offences.
On Wednesday the first jail sentences were handed out for last week’s riots.
Three men were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
Derek Drummond, 58, was locked up for three years, Declan Geiran, 29, got 30 months and Liam Riley, 40, was sentenced to 20 months.
