Girls 6, 7 and 9 killed in Southport knife attack named by police

The three girls who were killed in a “ferocious” knife attack at a children’s dance workshop have been named by police.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, died after the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event on Hart Street, Southport, on Monday.

Five children and two adults who were also injured remain in a critical condition.

Bebe’s family said “no words” could describe the “devastation that has hit our family”, while Alice’s parents said she would always be “our princess and no-one would change that”.

Merseyside Police said a 17-year-old boy, from Banks in Lancashire, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder remains in custody.

The force said the families of the girls, who were being supported by specialist officers, had asked for their privacy to be “respected at this time”.

In a tribute from her “Hero Daddy and Mummy”, Alice’s parents said: “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do, our princess.

“Like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no-one would change that.”

In a TV interview in Portugal, the country’s Communities Minister Jose Cesario said Alice was originally from the Madeira region and her parents were in “a state of shock”.

In a statement, Bebe’s family said “no words” could describe “the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl”.

Head teachers at the schools the three girls attended have paid tribute to them.

Natasha Sandland, of Marshside Primary School, said Bebe was “one of our brightest and most wonderful shining stars”.

“Words cannot do justice to describe the grief and upset our Marshside community are feeling today,” she said.

“We are deeply saddened by the awful news.”

Farnborough Road Infant School’s Jennifer Sephton said Elsie was a “caring and charismatic young lady” and the school was “heartbroken and devastated” by her passing.

“Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her father’s shoulders,” she said.

“It is immensely difficult to put into words how amazing Elsie was and the impact she had on those around her.”

Jinnie Payne, of Churchtown Primary School, said Alice had been “the happiest of souls” and a “true ray of sunshine”.

“She was known and loved by everyone in our school community of 700 children, a testament to her unique ability to connect with others,” she said.

She also paid tribute to Bebe, who had previously been a pupil at her school.

“Bebe was a joyful girl, whose kindness radiated through the entire Churchtown community,” she said.

“During her time at the school, Bebe’s considerate nature and her love of learning shone through in everything that she did.”

She added that a “number of other children from Churchtown were also involved in the attack, along with much-loved colleagues” and the school’s “heartfelt wishes” went to “all those families affected”.

Merseyside Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection to the attack, which it added was not being “treated as terror-related”.

The BBC can report that the teenage suspect, whose parents are from Rwanda, was born in Cardiff and moved to the Southport area in 2013.

It is understood that detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West have been actively providing support to the investigation.

A police representative said a name shared online in connection with the suspect was “incorrect” and urged people “not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing”.

A personal trainer who intervened in the stabbing told Sky News about “locking eyes” with the attacker.

Joel Verite said he rushed to help after seeing a woman covered in blood and saw the attacker holding a knife at the top of the stairs.

“I open the door downstairs… there’s a guy at the bottom of the stairs with a full tracksuit, his hood up, with a knife,” he said.

“We’ve looked at each other and he’s scurried off to the side.”

He said what he saw would “probably stay with me for the rest of my life”.

Thousands of people joined a vigil outside the Atkinson building in Southport, which began at 18:00 BST.

Flowers were laid for those who affected by the attack, while those who had gathered applauded the efforts of the emergency services who responded to what happened.

A minute’s silence was also observed in honour of the girls who died and those who were injured.

Addressing the crowd, Sefton Mayor June Burns said she hoped the vigil would offer support to the families of those killed and injured, adding that it was “hard to find the words at such a horrendous time”.

Local residents have also left flowers, cards and teddies by the police cordon close to the scene.

Churches have opened to give people a place to gather and several shops and pubs have closed as a mark of respect.

Sefton Council said it had launched a dedicated webpage providing information about help and support and would do “whatever it takes” to support the community as it dealt with the impact of “one of the saddest days in the borough’s history”.

Council leader Marion Atkinson said there had been some “truly amazing acts of kindness” since what happened and while it would “take time for us to come to terms with this… we will stay strong together”.

She added that the “offers of support” that the council had received “from across the world [were] much appreciated”.

Local football side Southport have cancelled their pre-season friendly against Morecambe “out of respect” for those killed and affected by the attack.

In a statement on social media, the club said its lounge would be open to the community and “specialist support staff will be present to offer assistance and comfort”.

Staff from Natterjacks Day Nursery laid flowers and a heart-shaped artwork, decorated with children’s handprints.

A message said: “The brightest stars are now dancing with the angels in heaven.

“Shine bright little ones, we will never forget your smiles and laughter.”

In total, 11 patients with stab injuries were treated by the ambulance service and some were taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which declared a major incident.

Two adults were critically injured “bravely” trying to protect the children from the attack, police have said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who followed Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in visiting the scene of the attack, said he came to pay his “respects to the families and the victims who are going through raw pain and grief”.

“As a father myself, I can’t imaging what they’re going through,” he said.

He said he had also wanted to “personally thank those that responded emergency service yesterday” who were “all back on duty today”.

“I wanted to shake their hands and say on behalf of the entire country ‘thank you for what you did yesterday’, because that was no ordinary challege that they ran towards.

“They have saved lives and sometimes it’s very important to come and personally say ‘thank you’.”

Singer Taylor Swift said she was “completely in shock” after the “horror” of the knife attack.

Her fans have raised more than £180,000 for the families of the victims.

Several other fundraisers have also been launched for those caught up in the attack.

King Charles previously paid tribute to “all those affected by this truly appalling attack”.