The morning of July 29, 2024, began with music and joy for a group of twenty-five little girls in the seaside town of Southport, who’d gathered together for a Taylor Swift dance workshop.
Before midday, the happy scenes at the Hart Studio would descend into unimaginable tragedy, with cowardly killer Axel Rudakubana setting upon the children with a knife, killing Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
The events of that terrible day continue to haunt yoga instructor Leanne Lucas, who had organised the sell-out workshop along with her friend, dance teacher Heidi Liddle.
As detailed in Panorama: The Southport Attack, which airs tonight (February 24) at 8pm on BBC One, heroic Leanne managed to get several of the girls out of the room before calling the police.
She sustained five horrific stab wounds in the process, with evil Rudakubana stabbing her in the spine, head, ribs, lung and shoulder blade.
Speaking with Panorama, Leanne, who was left in a life-threatening condition, recalled how, when help came, she overheard someone discussing potential paralysis, as well as something about her lungs.
She shared: “I asked someone if I was going to die.
“And she didn’t say no. She’s just said, ‘You’re in the best place’.”
Thankfully, Leanne’s life-saving surgery was successful, but her nightmare ordeal was far from over. Riots broke out across the UK, as inaccurate rumours spread that the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker
Devastatingly, Leanne herself was swept up in the chaos, with cruel social media trolls blaming her for the deaths of Alice, Bebe and Dot.
She said: “I just was scared of everybody. And still thinking it was all my fault. If I hadn’t arranged the day, if I had never advertised in certain places, if I hadn’t used that studio.”
Remembering seeing footage of riots breaking out on her own street, Leanne added: “I was like, are they trying to get me?”
Leanne first met with the Panorama team in January, after she’d endured a six-month wait for Rudakubana’s trial. On the first day of his trial, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to three charges of murder and 10 of attempted murder, in what Leanne regarded as yet another malicious act.
Leanne told the BBC: “I found out he pleaded guilty on the news. I felt so angry. We knew he did it. He knew he did it. Every single person knew he did it. And he waited until the day of trial to say guilty and put every single family, victim, witness – everyone in that position.”
Sharing why she has decided to speak out now, Leanne explained that, even following the court proceedings, she felt as though the “absolute trauma” of that day had not been understood. She said: “I just feel like I am able to be the voice of people you can’t hear who are involved in the story.”
On the day of Rudakubana’s sentencing, Leanne opened up about the agony of living with survivor’s guilt. She told the court: “I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.” Explaining that she has since struggled to see the good in the world, she continued: “For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”
During her Panorama interview, Leanne also opened up about the moments she shared with Alice, Elsie, and Bebe, which she continues to treasure – including Bebe’s “pure excitement” upon holding a puppy during a puppy yoga session.
“Confident ballerina” Alice, who Leanne had only met on the day of the tragedy, had a “beautiful smile” while little Elsie had enjoyed their weekly reading and writing lessons. Such memories help Leanne move forward in the darkness.
Leanne told the BBC: “These children represent goodness, I think. Just pure goodness. Happiness. How genuine they were. Positive. The love of life and just making the best out of every single moment. That’s how I remember them.”
Cardiff-born Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to the murders of the three little girls on Monday, January 20, during the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, also pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempted murder in relation to eight other children, who cannot be named, as well as the attempted murders of Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes. He also confessed to the possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
Handing down the sentence, Mr Justice Goose described the attack as “the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime”. Handing down 13 life sentences, Mr Justice Goose said: “In just 15 minutes, Rudakubana murdered three children and attempted to murder eight other children and two adults. He was prevented from murdering more only by the escape of other children.
“He will serve almost the whole of his life in custody. I consider it likely he will never be released, and he will be in custody for all of his life.”
Panorama: The Southport Attack airs this evening (February 24) at 8pm on BBC One.
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