Southport stabbings latest: Third child dies as others fight for lives; police call for end to online speculation (2024)

A nine-year-old killed in a knife attack in Southport yesterday has been named as Alice Aguiar.

Alice died in the early hours of this morning after sustaining injuries in the attack yesterday.

The Portuguese government has confirmed she was a Portuguese national, and that her parents were originally from Madeira.

Alice was set to turn 10 in October.

Merseyside's police and crime commissioner has said the news that a third child has died is "heartbreaking".

Three girls, aged six, seven and nine have been confirmed dead by police following yesterday's knife attack in Southport.

A further eight children remain in hospital, with five in critical condition.

Emily Spurrell had this to say...

A crew from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service are among the latest to have arrived at the scene in Southport to pay their respects.

About a dozen firefighters walked together to the cordon on Hart Street and laid flowers, with a message to say they were "thinking of everyone involved".

A children's yoga teacher is in hospital following yesterday's attack.

Leanne Lucas was one of the organisers of the Taylor Swift dance event at The Hart Space on Hart Street.

Ms Lucas is in hospital, a relative told Sky News.

A post on a local yoga page on Facebook, with an accompanying picture of Ms Lucas, read: "I'm absolutely devastated.

"Please please pray for Leanne. Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children."

Ms Lucas shared a post on Facebook advertising the event earlier this month.

By Michelle Inez Simon and Olive Enekido-Lineham, Data and Forensics unit

What should have been a fun summer holiday event for children descended into horror when a knife attack interrupted a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.

Three children were killedand eight others injured, with five left in critical condition.

Police said two adults were also critically injured while trying to protect children from the attacker.

The stabbings took place on Monday 29 July, at The Hart Space, a community hub and pregnancy care centre on Hart Street in Southport, around 20 miles north of Liverpool.

Hart Street is a largely residential area around a mile from Southport station.

The Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop organised by Enlighten, a yoga studio for children, was set to take place from 10am to 12pm.

Posters of the event online show the workshop was for children in Years 2 to 6 at primary school (aged between six and 11).

It was led by two teachers yesterday morning.

'It's like something from America'

Colin Parry, a local business owner, was one of the people who called the police, and described the aftermath of the knife attack as like a "scene in a horror movie".

Mr Parry works at Masters Vehicle Body Repairs, a car body shop that neighbours The Hart Space on Hart Street. He believes he saw the perpetrator in the lead-up to the stabbing.

He described seeing a taxi drop a male passenger off at his address, which had been the incorrect location, before losing sight of the man and catching the tail end of the taxi driving off.

He added: "It's like something from America, not like sunny Southport."

"It was definitely intentional."

You can read the full piece here.

Local businesses have closed out of respect for the victims and their families.

The Wellington, a local pub, has shut to allow staff to attend the vigil being held this evening, it said on Facebook, but will be re-opening afterwards.

Staff from local Natterjacks Day Nursery have laid flowers and a heart-shaped artwork, decorated with childrens' handprints at the scene of yesterday's attack on Hart Street.

A message on the artwork read: "The brightest stars are now dancing with the angels in heaven.

"Shine bright little ones, we will never forget your smiles and laughter."

Some people who've come to pay their respects have been seen in tears as they left the scene.

Earlier, we reported that aJust Giving pageset up by Taylor Swift fans had been set up so people can contribute towards funeral costs and victim support.

Shortly before 10am, the total raised was around £23,000.

It's now nearly tripled to more than £60,000.

A reminder that the site of the attack, where three children died and several more were injured, was a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class.

Swift herself shared a post on Instagram earlier expressing her "complete shock" (see 10.38am post).

'We've done what we can do,' organisers say

Cristina Jones, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, started the page.

"What compelled us was we were thinking about the fact that these families are going through just unimaginable hell right now," Ms Jones told PA.

"It feels really nice we've done something really positive.

"I firmly believe there's nothing we can do to make the families feel better because of what they're going through right now, but if we've taken some sort of burden from them, financial or whatever, it's nice to know that we've done what we can do."

Ms Jones said it was "really lovely" to see US singer Swift share a statement on Instagram paying tribute to the victims, adding: "She's bringing it to attention and letting the families know she's well aware and is thinking of them."

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has praised the response of the NHS to yesterday's attack.

Sharing a post on X in the moments after it was confirmed that a third child had died following the attack, he said staff had done their "level best" despite "the most unbearable of circ*mstances".