How Axel Rudakubana’s horrific crime in Southport tragically unfolded (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
On July 7, 2024 Leanne Lucas posted an advert for the Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop on , organizing the summer holiday kids event with her friend Heidi Little.
It was due to be held between 10am and noon at The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside, on July 29 and all 26 places were sold out within 11 days.
Det Chief Supt Pye added: “Monday was a beautiful, sunny morning when the children arrived in T shirts, shorts, summer clothes. They were looking forward to a fun day.
“They were seen running to the entrance with excitement. The 26 children were dropped off by their parents for 10am. Photographs taken by Leanne Lucas show the girls were enjoying themselves.
“Just after an hour later, Rudakubana left his family home in Banks, Lancashire, at 11.10am. Despite the warm weather, he was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt with his hood pulled over his head and his face covered with a surgical mask.
“He left the house armed with a 20cm kitchen knife he had bought on Amazon using encrypted software to disguise his Internet and identity on the July 13.
“Before leaving, he deleted his Internet browsing history. Despite this, we discovered that at 11.04am he used a Lenovo tablet to carry out a search on X of the Mari Emmanuel stabbing – a video of the stabbing of the Bishop Emmanuel and five others during a sermon in Australia in April 2024.
“Having left his home at 11.10am, he booked a taxi to collect him from the location near his home address and take him to Hart Street. The taxi picked him up at 11.30am.
“Dashcam footage shows he stayed silent throughout the journey, but when they arrived at Hart Street, he left the vehicle without paying. This prompted the driver to follow him, making repeated requests for payments, which were ignored.”
He said Rudakubana initially walked towards a bodywork repair garage by the Hart Space where staff told him to pay the taxi driver but he told them: “What are you going to do about it?” before entering the building at 11.45am.
The officer added: “He went upstairs towards the studio where the event was taking place. Just 30 seconds later, screams can be heard coming from within, followed by children fleeing from the building.
“Without saying a word, he grabbed the child nearest to him, stabbed her. He then moved through the room, systematically stabbing as many children as he could and the adults before they could escape.
“He managed to stab 11 children, three of whom he killed. They were Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. He stabbed them many times.
“The injuries suffered by Elsie and Bebe were so severe that they were they could not leave the building. They had no chance.
“Alice managed to run outside the building where she died later from her wounds, there can be no doubt that the defendant intended to kill them. As the other children ran from the studio he chased them, stabbing them in the back as they tried to get away.
“In addition to the children, he also stabbed Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes, who had gone to help from next door.”
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The detective explained how a mother waiting to collect her daughter was sitting in her car in the car park when she heard the screaming.
He said: “She saw people running from the building and managed to grab her daughter and put her into the car. Three other little children also got into her vehicle, one of whom had bleeding from a chest injury, Alice collapsed by the side of her vehicle.
“At 11.46am CCTV footage shows a child trying to leave the building only to be pulled back inside by the defendant. She was subsequently seen stumbling from the building and collapsing outside.
“Police sergeant Greg Gillespie arrived at 11.57am to find a large crowd of people in a state of panic. He entered the premises, accompanied by acting Police Sergeant Luke Holden, who had drawn his Taser and Police Community Support Officer Tim Parry at the top of the stairs, they found the defendant standing over the body of little Bebe.
“She had visible injuries. He was still holding the knife, which was the kitchen knife he’d purchased. He was told to drop it by the officers, and did so.
“In the studio itself, PS Gillespie found the body of little Elsie lying on her back on the floor. She was covered in blood and had suffered severe injuries. It was obvious that she had unfortunately died within the premises.
“Soon afterwards, Heidi Little and a little girl she had protected were found hiding in the toilet. They can be heard crying and with fear of relief as they are seen escorted from the building.”