I'm still haunted by the screams of little girls 1 tried to save

Teachers tell of mayhem as knife killer targeted dance class

- HOLLIE BONE

TWO dance teachers caught in the Southport attack are still "haunted by the screams" of the little girls they fought to save.

Leanne Lucas yesterday told the inquiry into the tragedy that, at first, she thought killer Axel Rudakubana was there to collect one of the youngsters. But then he began attacking the defenceless tutor.

The 36-year-old, who had organised the Taylor Swift dance class, was stabbed so hard by Rudakubana, 18, that the blade fractured her shoulder blade and severed parts of her spine.

Her injuries were so bad she did not even know that three youngsters - Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King - had been killed in the assault on July 29 last year.

But despite suffering five stab wounds to her head, chest, back and arms, Leanne summoned the strength to call 999 and helped many of the children to escape.

Choking back sobs, she told the hearing at Liverpool Town Hall: "He came in. I thought he must be here to collect someone. I shouted to him and to the girls for someone to indicate they knew him.

"That is when he came over to me.

He began what I thought was punching me in the back. After the second blow I knew, 'He's got me.