Appeal launched to support brave girl wounded in Southport Tragedy

A courageous girl who was stabbed multiple times in the Southport Tragedy only had thoughts for other girls at the scene as she rushed to get them to safety despite her horrendous injuries.

A fundraising page has now been launched on the GoFundMe site so she can access counselling and allow her family to support her to make some happy memories after an horrendous year.

You can donate on GoFundMe today

The girl who the funds will support was referred to in Court as:- ‘Child F' due to a Court order protecting the anonymity of the injured children.

The fundraiser has been set up by Eric Farrar, who said:- “I'm honoured to know this family that I met. When speaking with Child F it was such an inspiration and I would like your help to raise funds for such a brave and courageous individual and her family so they can cover costs of additional counselling and allow them to make new, better memories to push this horrible event to the back of their thoughts.”

It follows last Friday’s Court case at Liverpool Crown Court which saw murderer Axel Rudukubana jailed for 52 years after he admitted killing three young girls and wounding several young children and adults at:- The Hart Space, on:- 29 July 2024.

Speaking bravely in Court, Child F said:- “My sister and I have always been part of dance clubs and thankfully we can still go. On that day my sister wanted to go to take part, and I agreed to go to help Heidi and Leanne by taking pictures of the girls having a brilliant time. We were dropped off by our dad and I remember it being sunny and warm. That day turned into a living nightmare. The dance club was full of laughter and excitement all morning with the girls full of life. The beginning of my nightmare started when I saw you. I thought you were playing a joke. I saw you in your green hoodie and face mask. The thing I remember most about you is your eyes. You looked possessed and you didn't look human. I watched you stab someone and then I saw you coming for me. It was like slow motion. You stabbed me in the arm and instinctively I turned and that's when you continued to stab me in the back although I didn't feel it at the time. All I could hear was the screams. I was so scared of what you were doing and I was in a blind panic. I ran out onto the landing and there was a group of girls huddled and I began just screaming for the girls to get down the stairs. I remember I was physically pushing them down the stairs to get them out of the building and get them away from you. I knew I was running for my life. I needed to try to get everyone out to safety, that was my first thought. When we were in the car park, I remember thinking we needed to get away as you weren't going to stop, I knew from your eyes you wanted to try to kill us all. The fear I had, not knowing where my sister was, and screaming her name, I couldn't see her. I didn't know if she had got out. I will never forget that blind panic. Once I was safe and I knew my sister was safe I asked:- 'Am I going to die?' You stabbed my arm so severely that my arm looked like it was inside out. You stabbed me in the back so hard that you fractured my spine. My lung collapsed. I stayed in Hospital for a week, but even when I got home the road to recovery was so long. I couldn't go out with friends like I would have done with it being the summer holidays. I couldn't dance for months; I was simply too exhausted. When we came home, I needed my Mum, she slept beside me and my sister. I was just so scared and constantly reliving what you did. My sister would get our parents to check all the windows and doors before bed to make sure we were safe. You caused that fear in us. As a person I feel different, this life changing event has happened to us and I'm living with the consequences of it every day. Things about the incident pop up on social media all the time - I feel like I can't get away from it. Even when I'm at home and I'm safe, it means that I feel like I'm mentally still there and experiencing it. Physically I've healed, but my scars remain as a reminder of what you did to me, to us all. My sister and I are lucky we got to come home. Your actions mean that Alice, Bebe and Elsie didn't. Some of us are physically getting better, but we will all have to live with the mental pain from that day forever. I want you to know that you changed mine and my sister's lives forever, but whilst you live behind bars alone, I will make sure that my sister and I, and our family will do our best to move forward with our lives."

Eric Farrar said:- “I have seen the generosity of everyone and let’s see if we can assist this family to move forward and allow the children to reclaim their childhood with better memories.”

You can make a donation on GoFundMe today!

Statements from the Southport Attack parents and families following the sentencing of the Southport Attacker

FOLLOWING the news that Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to life in prison on:- Thursday, January 23, 2025, for the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar in Southport on:- July 29, 2024, Merseyside Police have released the following statements from the families of the victims and those affected by this horrific attack on innocent lives.

Family of Child C:- "Our hearts continue to ache for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie. We cannot imagine how they are feeling after the loss of their beautiful girls. We are acutely aware of how incredibly lucky we are that our daughter is still with us. We want to thank all of the people who were involved in saving our daughter's life. To the people on the scene, the 1st responders that day, the paramedics, and to everyone involved with her surgeries - words cannot express how grateful we will forever be to you. Thank you to everyone we encountered during our time at Alder Hey; and for the ongoing psychological support we receive from the Hospital. Thank you also to the Police and the CPS for the work they put into bringing this case to Court. We are grateful to everyone who has kept our daughter in their thoughts over the past 6 months. To the friends and family who have been there and supported us every step of the way; we love you. Our daughter continues to make a good recovery. She remains the positive, funny, determined, caring girl she always was. She is our Warrior. The events of the:- 29 July 2024 will not define her. It is undeniable that there remain more questions which need answering about how we got to this point. We hope that these will be answered in due course. For our daughter, and everyone else who was there that day, it is the least that they deserve. Finally, we would like to ask the media and the wider world for our continued privacy, while we as a family try to come to terms with the events of:- 29 July 2024."

Family of Children F and T who are siblings:- "Today our family welcome the sentence imposed on that monster, however nothing will ever reverse the heartbreaking events of that day. Our children have been exposed to scenes that no 1 should ever see and caused unimaginable pain and heartache for us all. Alice, Bebe, Elsie and their families remain in our thoughts always. We would like to thank Merseyside Police and the CPS for bringing justice and for the emergency services who attended the scene and medical staff who treated our girls with such compassion. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the public for all of their support and well wishes since that tragic day. For now, we need time to reflect and process the events of the past few months and ask for privacy during this time. We will come forwards and speak when we feel ready."

Family of Child L:- "1st and foremost, we would like to send our love, thoughts and condolences to the families and loved ones of Alice, Bebe, Elsie Dot and indeed the rest of the families forever touched by the attack on the:- 29 July 2024. We recognise that we are extremely fortunate to have our little princess with us, and we are immensely proud of her and the bravery, courage, and resilience she has shown, both on the day of the attack and since, as she takes the first steps on the long road to recovery. We would like to thank all the emergency services involved with all the victims and families on the day, with special thanks reserved for the police officer who personally took vigilant care of our daughter, the Air Ambulance team, and Hospital staff who continue to support and contribute to the care of the girls. We would also like to thank the residents of Hart Street, in particular the 2 families who gave our daughter shelter in their homes, in the immediate aftermath of this unprecedented and hideous attack. Your kindness and compassion will never be forgotten. We welcome the guilty verdict but also realise this is only the 1st step on the road to justice. We welcome the public inquiry and believe that true justice can only be achieved by preventing anything like this from happening again. We ask for privacy and respect, as we focus on repairing the harm caused, this incident will not define us as a family, and we are confident our daughter will continue to grow in strength as we rebuild our lives."

Family of Child O:- "We are glad that the guilty plea was announced to stop the anguish for all the families. We are looking forward to justice being done. We would like to thank the emergency services and all the other organisations and individuals that have offered support and kindness throughout this tragic time."

Family of Child P:- "The sights and sounds that day were so traumatic to all, the families, the neighbours, the services and of course our children. This will forever be with us and our thoughts will remain with the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie who although our daughter didn't know, now thinks and prays for them often."

Family of Child Q:- "Although the horrific events will always stay with us, we now hope to be able to move forward as a family to enjoy happier times. We would like to like to thank everyone for the love and support we have received during this difficult time."

Family of Child U:- "Horrific incidents like this should unite society and not cause a divide amongst them, and remind everyone that there is more good than bad in the world."

Family of Children V and W who are siblings:- "Following the horrific events at the Hart Space on:- 29 July, the bravery and strength that our 2 daughters have shown has kept us going, in stark contrast to the cowardice displayed by Axel Rudakubana. We will continue to support and guide them through their psychological recovery, love them unconditionally and continue to grow stronger as a family. We welcome the public enquiry and wish to understand how the failings that have been discovered will be addressed."

Family of Child X:- "Whilst I'm glad we haven't had to sit through the pain of a trial and reliving that awful day, what happened that day will stay with us forever. We'd like to thank everyone who has helped and supported those of us effected by the tragedy."

Heidi Liddle:- "My heart is with the families of Alice, Bebe, and Elsie, as well as everyone affected by this devastating tragedy. I kindly ask for privacy for myself and my family during this deeply difficult time."

 If you have been affected by this case and want to speak to someone or access support, you can contact my Victim Care Merseyside service on:- 08081753080, or visit:- VictimCareMerseyside.Org.