The mother of a girl who escaped the Southport knife attack but was dragged back into the building has told a public inquiry of her daughter's courage and determination to survive as she “fought like hell” to escape.
The second day of the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall heard evidence from families of children who survived the attack, carried out by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.
The mother of one girl, who was seven when she suffered 33 stab wounds, said the inquiry “must answer her daughter’s questions” about how the attack happened.
Sitting beside the girl’s father in the witness box, she said: “She deserves the truth, she deserves accountability. She deserves an apology. Our girls deserve an apology, backed up by the promise that changes will be made and this will not be allowed to happen again.”
Rudakubana, 18, was sentenced to life in jail in January, with a minimum term of 52 years, for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
He also attempted to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
The woman, whose daughter was referred to as C1 to protect her identity, said: “I want you to be in no doubt of the consequences of this horrific attack and what life now looks like for our daughter.
“I expect the weight of responsibility you hold to be felt in every question you ask and every recommendation you make.”
She said her daughter became known as “the girl that was dragged back in” after footage of her escaping was shown during the sentencing of Rudakubana.
“But she is so much more than that moment on CCTV. Those moments carried so much courage and determination to survive, that the CCTV footage does not tell us,” the woman said.
She told the inquiry her daughter “fought like hell, to get herself out of that building, twice” and described a “stampede” to get out, during which she was knocked over and huddled with two other children at the top of the stairs.
She said: “I would like to say that I don’t for a moment doubt that the actions of the teachers there that day saved lives. They escaped to call the police and flag down help, they shielded other children. I am grateful for what they did for those girls.
“But the uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself.”
The father of another of the girls said it was “patently clear that lessons need to be learnt from what happened and processes need to be changed”.
Sitting beside the girl’s mother in the witness box, he said: “Our nine-year-old daughter was stabbed three times in the back by a coward she didn’t even see. Although she didn’t know what was happening, she knew she had to run. ”
He said they had since seen CCTV footage of her running from the building on Hart Street, looking “scared, confused and pained” and hiding behind a parked car, before jumping to “relative safety” through an open car door.
Describing his daughter as his “hero”, the father said she remained “the positive, caring, funny, enthusiastic, courageous girl she always was”.
He added: “She wears her scars with a dignity and defiance that is remarkable.”
The mother of another girl who was at the event, referred to as Child Q, said arriving to collect her daughter on that day and seeing screaming children running from the building was “the most horrific experience of my life”.
“To be unaware of what was happening, trying to process it all whilst also being fearful of what could happen next – it’s an unexplainable feeling,” she said.
“What I saw on that day will stick with me forever, I constantly have flashbacks and relive what happened.”
In a statement read by the family’s legal representative, the woman said her daughter now has to sit where she can see the door at school so she can always be aware of who is entering the classroom, and is sometimes unable to attend altogether due to her anxiety.
The mother of a seven-year-old girl, referred to as C8, said in a statement read on her behalf that the incident had “changed everything”.
She said she was at work on July 29 when she received a “panicked phone call” from her friend’s mother. “That moment, the sound of fear in her voice and the panic I felt will never leave me. I rushed to the scene and what I saw is something no parent should ever see.”
She said her daughter, who suffered injuries to her arm and face, could not be left alone any more and felt safe only with a small number of people, needing “constant support, reassurance and protection”.
She had “witnessed horrors that no one should ever see”, she said. “I am grateful beyond words that she survived," she added. "But what she went through, what she saw and what she continues to carry has changed everything.”
Counsel to the inquiry Nicholas Moss KC paid tribute to the “immense courage and dignity” of the families who had prepared evidence.
After hearing four statements, the hearing was adjourned until September 8, when more evidence will be heard.
The inquiry was opened on Tuesday by chairman Sir Adrian Fulford, who described the acts of Rudakubana as “one of the most egregious crimes in our country’s history”.
In his opening statement, Sir Adrian said Rudakubana “posed a very serious and significant risk of violent harm, with a particular and known predilection for knife crime”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
