'I thought I was going to die in Southport attack'
A 14-year-old girl who survived the Southport attack that claimed the lives of three girls and left others injured has recalled the moment she feared she was going to die, as the first anniversary approaches.The teenager was left with life-threatening injuries when Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17, walked into a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop on 29 July and attacked the girls taking part as well as the adults running it.The teenager, who the BBC is calling Sarah to protect her identity, said she had been making bracelets with the other girls when Rudakubana walked into the room. "He stabbed the child in front of me and then he was coming for me," she told BBC Radio Merseyside.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, and Bebe King, 6, died in the attack, while eight other children and two adults were injured.Sarah said: "He stabbed my arm and, as I turned, he must have stabbed my back but I didn't realise it at that time."She recalled how she managed to flee to the landing before leading a number of girls to safety outside."I thought I was going to die. I didn't think I was going to live through it," she said."I did think it was a joke and then further on into it happening it just kind of felt like a movie set you were on."It's you but you're watching yourself do it – like a nightmare."
Sarah said she had been left feeling angry after Rudakubana changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial."He's just a coward at the end of the day, targeting kids in the first place," she said.She added the aftermath and the outpouring of support in the wake of what had happened had shown her "the worst and the best of humanity".Sarah said she now wanted to make a difference by setting up a charitable clothing brand – alongside her sister, who also survived the attack - called GABA, which stands for "Go Anywhere Be Anything".She said a percentage from the sales would help charities that focus on mental health, would fund bleed packs and help to tackle knife crime.
'Proud father'
"Everyone that is carrying knives or hurting each other is getting younger and younger," she said. "It's annoying that it's people who are my age."It comes after yoga instructor Leanne Lucas, who also survived the attack, recently said she wanted to drive a cultural shift in which people swapped their traditional pointed-tip blades with blunt-ended knives, which presented a much lower risk of causing serious injury.Sarah added she would also like pupils to be first-aid trained by the time they left high school.Her father said he was proud of both his daughters' determination to bring about change."We get our strengths as father and as parents from our children," he said."What they're doing, what they are coming out with and how they want to help support local community is just inspiring."A list of organisations offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
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