Two children have died and nine have been injured, six critically, after a series of stabbings in Southport, Merseyside. Two adults are also in a critical condition – they were apparently injured trying to protect the children from their attacker. A 17-year old boy, from the nearby village of Banks in Lancashire, remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
A witness described it as ‘the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life’
The stabbings took place at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday lunchtime. A man, wearing a mask and armed with a knife, entered the venue and started to repeatedly stab child after child. There are thought to have been around 25 children – aged between six and 11 – taking part in the dance workshop. The class was being run by two teachers and was due to finish at noon, just ten minutes after the stabbings started at 11.47am.
Armed police and paramedics rushed to the scene: video footage showed an air ambulance landing in a supermarket car park nearby. Serena Kennedy, Merseyside Police chief constable, described the attack as ‘ferocious’ and said that when her officers arrived ‘they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and has suffered serious injuries’. The casualties were taken to three hospitals, including the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool which declared a major incident.
Eyewitness testimony conveys in excruciating detail the mounting sense of horror. Colin Parry, the owner of a car repair shop, said he saw ‘two or three kids’ lying seriously injured on the floor. Parry described it as ‘the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life’. Alaina Riley said her aunt, who lives across the road from the venue, witnessed ‘little kids run out screaming covered in blood’ and two staff members ‘crawling’ out of the building. Parents were screaming as they tried to find their children. Deborah Parker, a local resident, said she heard a young girl, covered in blood, come out of the building saying: ‘Mum, Ive been stabbed, I’ve been stabbed.’ Neighbours frantically tried to help take children to safety. Merseyside Police say the families of the deceased children, and the children who were injured, are being supported by specialist officers. The police also stress that wider trauma support for all those affected would be made available.
Two children died in the attack and nine others were injured (Getty Images)
King Charles has sent his ‘most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies’ to the families and loved ones of the victims and all those affected by this ‘truly appalling attack’. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, also offered his condolences to the victims and their families and friends, saying ‘the whole country is deeply shocked’. He also thanked the emergency services who responded to the ‘most difficult of circumstances’. Dave Kitchin, the head of service at North-West ambulance service, told a news conference that the knife attack would leave a ‘lasting impact on the whole community’.
A man, wearing a mask and armed with a knife, entered the venue and started to repeatedly stab child after child
The nationwide shock at what happened is palpable. The knife attack took place at the start of the summer holidays: classes such as the one targeted are community events, often run on a shoestring. Who even thinks of a need for security in such situations?
Targeted attacks on groups of children are very rare in this country. The last major incident on this scale was the Dunblane massacre in March, 1996, when Thomas Hamilton walked into a school and killed 16 children and a teacher. Hamilton then took his own life. The massacre led to reforms in firearm laws.
The Southport knife attack is the worst in the UK since the London Bridge 2017 terrorist stabbings. In the immediate future, the police investigation will gather pace. Officers say the motive for the attack remains unclear but it is not currently being treated as terror-related. Even so, the police will want to make sure that the suspect acted alone in planning the attack. There will be inquiries into the background of the attacker and whether the suspect had any prior contact with statutory agencies, including health and social services. There will be plenty of discussion in the coming days and weeks of what lessons should be learnt from this tragedy. Right now, the people of Southport and the rest of the nation are as one, united in grief and sorrow.
