Parents collecting their children saw 'true horror, inquiry hears

PARENTS who witnessed “true horror” when they arrived to collect their children from a dance class have spoken at the public inquiry into the Southport attack.

- ELEANOR BARLOW and PAT HURST

The families of surviving children gave impact evidence to the hearings at Liverpool Town Hall yesterday, along with a businessman who confronted Axel Rudakubana during the attack on the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

The hearings will examine Cardiff-born Rudakubana's dealings with relevant agencies before he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and attempted to murder 10 others.

In the first of the impact evidence heard yesterday, a mother whose two daughters attended the class said her husband called her when he returned to collect them.

She said: “The words he spoke will never leave me: ‘You need to get here now. The kids have been stabbed’

“Shock took over instantly. I couldn't make sense of the words. I went to my neighbour to drive me to the scene, it was the slowest journey to get there. My husband, meanwhile, had entered the building, witnessing true horror that will stay with him forever, and been unable to locate our daughters.

“During his search he recalls time standing still, hearing screams, and he then received a call from our eldest and located the girls at the neighbour’s house.

“He relives these moments daily.”