The parents of Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe, who were killed along with Alice Dasilva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance club in Southport, have opened up about losing their children
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Parents of the little girls stabbed to death in Southport have shared six heartbreaking memories of their children.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s holiday club in the Merseyside town on July 29 last year.
The children had been dropped off and were enjoying the dance class given by Leanne Lucas when Axel Rudakubana, then 17, launched his knife rampage. The parents of Bebe and Elsie have now opened up about how they learnt about the horror unfolding and they have also reflected on the lives of the girls, shedding light on their special personalities.
Bebe’s mother, 41, who works for a travel firm and father, 43, who is employed by HM Revenue & Customs can’t be named because of a court order. Their daughter had had been taught ballet by Heidi Barlow, a friend of Ms Lucas, who helped run the Taylor Swift event and also did puppy yoga with Ms Lucas.
Elsie’s mum Jenni said and she told how her husband David dropped her off at the event at 10am. And the plan was for Elsie to be picked up by the mother of a friend, and she would go and play with her pal until 3pm.
‘One of a kind’
“Everyone says it, don’t they,” Jenni Stancombe said of her daughter Elsie. “That they’re one of a kind? But she truly was. It was an honour to be her mum. Sometimes I think people are born special, and I genuinely believe she was.”
Caring
Elsie’s grandma died two years ago and she was always concerned about her dad David’s loss. Mum Jenni said that when David went out running Elsie “would be like, ‘I’ll run with you, Dad. I’ll go out with you, Dad’.” Elsie once saw her dad with his head down. “She came over and said, ‘You’re thinking about Nana, aren’t you?’,” said David. “And I said, ‘yeah’. But she would always ask Jenni about her Nana and not me. It’s like she just knew.”
Private tutor
Elsie had a private tutor to help her with reading and writing who was Leanne Lucas, the dance tutor who was also stabbed during the tragedy. “Elsie went to Leanne for 18 months for private tutoring every Saturday morning. I was just trying to give her a better start in life, that’s all it was…,” said Jenni, as she cried at the realisation that it was this connection that led to Elsie going to the Taylor Swift dance class.
Humour
Bebe King’s mum has told how she would do impressions and make everyone laugh. “One of the things that was really special about her was that she was hilarious,” she said. “She used to make me belly laugh. She would do impressions. She would try stupid accents. Even when she was a baby she would have me belly laughing.”
Headstrong
And Bebe’s mum told of her daughter’s strong character giving one example of when she wanted to have a dress. “I was looking at videos of us in Marks & Spencer, and in one she picked up an Elsa dress (from Frozen) and looked at me, and I said, ‘Bebe, you’re not getting that dress’, and she said” – with her mum putting on a stern voice — “‘I’ve told you five times I want this dress’.”
Full of life
Bebe’s dad remembers his daughter’s confidence and going over to comfort other children who were shy at typical kids’ parties were many people wouldn’t know each other. “She would go over to the shy ones and she would literally pull them in. She was so confident and full of life,” he said.
The Southport community quickly rallied round after the tragedy. The following day, hundreds of tributes were left close to the police cordon in Hart Street. Staff from Natterjacks Day Nursery laid flowers and a heart-shaped artwork, decorated with children’s handprints.
A message on the artwork said: “The brightest stars are now dancing with the angels in heaven. Shine bright little ones, we will never forget your smiles and laughter.” The King suspended his traditional Balmoral break to visit Southport and hold a private meeting with some of the injured young children and their families at the town hall on August 20.
Before sitting down with the families, Charles spent a few moments looking at flowers left outside and went on a brief walkabout, meeting well-wishers who had cheered when he arrived. He later stopped at Southport Community Fire Station and chatted to many of the emergency services members who had dealt with the fatal incident.
The following day, Charles met the families of the three victims during a private audience at Clarence House in London. On August 23, the funeral of Elsie Dot Stancombe – the final funeral to be held for the three victims – took place in the town. A horse-drawn carriage travelled from the family home through streets decorated with pink ribbons to St John’s Church in Birkdale.
Elsie’s coffin, topped with a blue cuddly toy, was carried up a pink carpet as members of her cheerleading squad, Vortex Cheer, formed a guard of honour, before going into the building through a balloon arch as bubbles were blown into the air. Those attending the service wore bright colours and florals, after Elsie’s family asked those attending not to wear black, while others watched the funeral on screens at the church hall and Liverpool Road Methodist Church. As the cortege passed floral tributes in Southport town centre after the service, hundreds gathered and applauded.