2024 Southport stabbing

2024 Southport stabbing
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Location	Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Coordinates
Date	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29) c. 11:47 (BST (UTC+1))
Target	Children at a dance workshop
Attack type	Mass stabbing
Deaths	3
Injured	10
Motive	Unknown
Coroner	Julie Goulding
Accused	Axel Rudakubana
Charges	Murder (3 counts) Attempted murder (10 counts) Possession of a bladed article (1 count)

On 29 July 2024, a mass stabbing targeting children occurred at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Three children were killed, and 10 other people – eight of whom were children – were injured, some of them severely. Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old British citizen born in Cardiff to parents from Rwanda, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article.

The attack took place at a Taylor Swift–themed yoga and dance workshop held at the Hart Space, a community studio in the Meols Cop area of Southport. Twenty-five children were in attendance. The attacker stabbed eleven children and two adults. Two girls died at the scene. Six of the injured children and both adults were in critical condition when taken to hospital, and a third girl died the following day.

On 30 July, far-right protesters clashed with police in Southport and damaged a mosque after misinformation about the attacker's identity was spread online. Over the next few days, the riots escalated into nationwide riots, with disorder and protests spreading to towns and cities across the United Kingdom.

A motive for the attack has not been identified, although Merseyside Police stated they were not treating it as terror-related. On 1 August, Liverpool Crown Court disclosed the suspect's identity despite being a minor to counter speculation and misinformation.

Background

The Hart Space, where the attack occurred, is a studio venue on Hart Street in Meols Cop, Southport, about a mile east of the town centre. It hosts yoga, dance, pregnancy, and baby and toddler classes. It is on the first floor of a building which it shares with an office on the ground floor.

The workshop was organised by yoga teacher Leanne Lucas. It was advertised as a "yoga, dance and bracelet making workshop" themed around the music of Taylor Swift. The workshop was aimed at children in Year 2 to Year 6 (ages 6–11), and was being held in the first whole week of the summer holidays, scheduled for 29 July 2024 between 10:00 and 12:00 BST. The event was fully booked, with 25 children attending.

Attack

At around 11:45, the attacker arrived at Hart Street by taxi and walked to the Hart Space. He entered the venue and began his attack.

The organisers tried to shield the children from the attacker. Lucas, who was critically injured in the attack, ushered some children out of the venue via a fire exit and the other organiser locked others in a toilet to hide them. Jonathan Hayes, who was working in an office in the same building, ran into the studio after hearing screams and was stabbed in the leg when he attempted to disarm the attacker.

At 11:47, Merseyside Police received the first emergency call, and emergency services were dispatched. North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) received their first call a minute later.

Members of the public helped those who had escaped from the building. One described how he had stopped to help an injured child before entering the building and seeing the attacker with a knife at the top of a staircase. After two officers had subdued the attacker, the man carried an injured girl to an ambulance. A man who lived in a neighbouring property was interviewed by ITV and described how he had taken several children, one of them injured, into his house.

Emergency services quickly declared a major incident as armed response vehicles, thirteen ambulances, the fire service, and three air ambulances – one each from North West Air Ambulance, Midlands Air Ambulance, and Great North Air Ambulance – were dispatched to the scene. Specialist hazardous area response team (HART) and Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT) units also responded. Merseyside Police imposed an Emergency Restriction of Flying to stop aircraft – including helicopters and drones – from flying without permission.

Victims

Six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Stancombe died at the scene. Nine children and two adults were treated for injuries by NWAS. Six of the nine children and both adults – Lucas and Hayes – were in a critical condition following the stabbings.

Casualties were taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, which declared a major incident, as well as Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby District General Hospital, Ormskirk District General Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. A third girl, nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, died in hospital the day after the incident. The three girls who were killed in the attack were named on 30 July.

By 8 August, all the injured children had been discharged from hospital.

Accused

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana (born 7 August 2006) was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, and is a British citizen. His parents are originally from Rwanda. The family moved to the Southport area in 2013; at the time of the attack, they lived in Banks, a large village on the north-eastern outskirts of Southport. Neighbours have described him as "quiet". He has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and had reportedly been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".

Rudakubana attended Range High School in Formby and took part in a musical theatre group. In 2018, when he was 11, he was featured in a BBC Children in Need promotional video dressed as the Tenth Doctor.

On 31 July 2024, Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a bladed article. As a minor at the time of the attack, he could not initially be named; however reporting restrictions on his identity were lifted on 1 August by Liverpool Crown Court, citing concerns over the lack of confirmed identity fuelling misinformation. The recorder overturning the restrictions stated that continuing to prevent reporting of Rudakubana's name risked more unrest when he turned 18 on 7 August and his identity would have become publicly available. Rudakubana was remanded in custody and has a provisional trial date set of 20 January 2025.

Merseyside Police have not identified a motive, although they said on 29 July that they were not treating the incident as terror-related.

Aftermath

Official responses

File:10 Downing Street lit pink.jpg

10 Downing Street lit pink in tribute to the victims on 2 August

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as horrendous and shocking, and thanked emergency services for their swift response. Speaking in the House of Commons, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that she was concerned by the incident and described the emergency services' response as courageous. Patrick Hurley, in whose constituency the incident occurred, stated that he was deeply concerned and hoped for the best possible outcomes to the casualties as well as praising local organisations that "stepped up to the plate" and urging against any online speculation over the event. Cooper additionally visited Southport the following morning to lay flowers and meet officials and community leaders. Starmer also visited the same day and laid flowers at the scene. He was heckled by some members of the public. On 2 August, 10 Downing Street was illuminated pink "as a mark of respect and solidarity".

Condolences were sent by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales. The President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, and the Regional Government of Madeira, sent condolences as Aguiar's parents had emigrated from Madeira to the UK.

Swift responded: "The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock. [...] These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families." By 1 August, her fans had raised over GB£300,000 for the victims.

After Rudakubana's identity was released, the BBC removed the Children in Need advert featuring him from all of its platforms. The company that cast him also deleted all references to him from their social media.

Public reaction, misinformation and unrest

Further information: 2024 United Kingdom riots

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, misinformation about the identity of the attacker began to spread widely on social media, including a false name. False claims regarding the suspect's nationality, religion and migration status were shared by some far-right accounts.

A vigil was held outside the Atkinson in Eastbank Square on the evening of 30 July, with thousands of people in attendance. Flowers and handwritten notes were left there and near the scene of the attack. The same evening, a large group of people gathered near a mosque on St Luke's Road, near Hart Street. They attacked the mosque with bricks, bottles, and rocks, and set a police vehicle on fire. Merseyside Police believed the group to be supporters of the English Defence League, although the EDL has ceased to exist in a formal sense since 2010. Merseyside Police reported that 39 officers were injured; 27 were hospitalised and eight sustained serious injuries. Further riots fuelled by racism were later seen in other towns and cities, including Manchester, London, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Aldershot.

A vigil was held for Aguiar on 6 August at St Patrick's Church in Southport.

YouGov surveyed the British public in response to the unrest, finding that 34% supported the protests and 7% backed the "unrest at protests". While 6% described the police response as "too tough," 52% believed it was "not tough enough".

Inquest

The inquest into the three deaths was opened at Bootle Town Hall on 7 August by senior coroner Julie Goulding.

See also

• List of mass stabbing incidents (2020–present)
• 2024 Hainault sword attack – mass stabbing in London in which a 14-year-old boy was killed

External links

• "Statement on major incident in Southport" (Merseyside Police)