Alice Dasilva Aguiar (L), Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King (Image: MERSEYSIDE POLICE/AFP via Getty)
The nation is humbled at the courage and love displayed by people whose lives were shattered by the murders at the Southport dance class.
We cannot imagine the grief and horror endured by the families and close friends of the three girls who were fatally stabbed.
This atrocity has shaken, enraged and appalled people in every community in Britain and beyond. The cruelty unleashed on these innocent and vulnerable children is inexplicable; they encountered sheer evil.
But yesterday we witnessed the strength of the love that will always burn in the hearts of those who cherished Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King.
These girls will never be forgotten.
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Their birthdays will be marked and their families will treasure memories of the joy they brought the world in their short lives.
The statements of those directly affected by the killings give us a glimpse of the pain, trauma and loss inflicted on them. But they also reveal incredible bravery and love that will never fade.
As Alice’s parents said, they would “do anything” to hold her “one more time”. Elsie’s mother said she had lost her “best friend” and dance instructor Leanne Lucas said she is now “surviving” for the girls who found such happiness in her class.
Long after the name of the killer has vanished from public memory, people will continue to think of these heroic men and women with the greatest admiration. The community in Southport has not been overcome by the terrible darkness which visited it with such destructive force.
Britons have shuddered at the thought of how they would cope if their daughter or granddaughter suffered such violence. The bereaved and traumatised families will be held in the thoughts and prayers of strangers for many years to come.
Everything possible must be done to ensure that this act of brutality is never repeated. Lessons must be learned from this outrage so individuals intent on violence do not roam the streets.
The coming inquiry must establish how warnings were missed. This should be followed with swift action so public servants are empowered to sound the alarm when they fear the public are in danger.
Important questions must be asked about the depravity that can be accessed online. The toxic glorification of violence poisons minds.
Great debates await. But today the thoughts of us all are with those who ache with unspeakable sorrow and wish they could turn back the clock.
Their love is a light to us all. Britain stands in solidarity with them.
May they find some comfort and peace in the working of justice and the love and support of a magnificent community.