Girl stabbed in back during Southport attack hits out at ‘false information’

Axel Rudakubana murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed class. A teenage girl who bravely led a group to safety during the Southport attack, despite her own serious injuries, has spoken out against the spread of “false information” on social media surrounding the tragic event.

In an interview with the BBC’s Panorama programme, the 14-year-old, identified only as “Sarah” due to a court order protecting her identity, explained her decision to share her story, saying she wanted to ensure “the truth [was] out there.” The programme, which delves into the attack, highlights Sarah’s courage and resilience amidst the chaos.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed class in the Merseyside town in July last year. After the attack a slew of false claims circulated on social media about the circumstances surrounding the killings, which contributed to widespread disorder around the country in the following days.

Sarah was stabbed in her arm and back during the attack, which left her with a fractured spine and punctured lung. She told the BBC: “There’s lots of hearsay out on social media that isn’t true, or false information, and I want to get my voice and the truth out there for everyone to know.”.

As well as the physical impact of the attack, Sarah also described the lasting mental consequences. She said: “Every single girl that was there, adults that saw everything still has to live through the mental pain from being there. “So even though you are physically getting better you still have to live through the mental pain forever.”.

After being stabbed, the 14-year-old said she pushed a group of girls down the stairs and led them to a house across the road as they “screamed in panic”. Speaking about how the attack unfolded, the girl said she saw Rudakubana stab a child in front of her before he came towards her.

She told the programme: “I saw him stab a child in front of me. “And then I saw the knife coming towards me and him coming towards me. “And that’s when I saw it go into my arm. “And that’s when I turned and he must have got my back, but I didn’t feel it at the time, because of the adrenaline … I remember his eyes the most, because he looked possessed and not human … I remember seeing the girls all like huddling around the stairs.

“So I remember shouting for them to get down and get out. “So I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get everyone out. “I thought that he wasn’t going to stop until he killed everyone.”. Rudakubana – who was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January – attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as businessman John Hayes and class instructor Leanne Lucas.

The minimum term Rudakubana must serve in custody for the Southport attack is one of the highest on record, and is thought to be the longest punishment handed to a killer of his age. The girl’s parents, who were interviewed alongside her, said they arrived at the scene to find “blood everywhere”.

The mother said she found her daughter “pale, very yellow” and was on the verge of passing out. The girl’s mother added: “The kids are frightened of everything. They struggle to sleep. Having to make sure that they’re safe, that they feel secure. Checking doors, checking windows.