Southport families hit out at killer’s parents

THE families of the three girls murdered by the Southport attacker have said his parents should be held to account for “allowing evil to exist unchecked under their own roof”.

- ELEANOR BARLOW, ELLIE NG AND ROSIE SHEAD Press Association reporters

Bebe King Elsie Dot Stancombe Alice da Silva Aguiar

Yesterday, the final day of evidence in the first phase of the Southport Inquiry, Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Muzayire both gave their evidence via videolink, which could be heard but not seen by the public and press.

Their son, Axel Rudakubana, was 17 when he killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

Ms Muzayire, who moved to the UK from Rwanda with her husband in 2002, read a prepared statement on behalf of herself and her family, who she said had come to the inquiry with “broken hearts”.

She said: “There are many things that Alphonse and I wish we had done differently, anything that might have prevented the horrific event of July 29, 2024.

“[For] our failure, we are profoundly sorry. We pray every day for the children and their families, and for God’s comfort to surround them.”

In a statement released after their evidence, Elsie’s parents Jenni and David Stancombe said they believed the parents should be held to account for what they allowed to happen.