Bebe, Elsie and Alice: The three schoolgirls we will never forget

(L-R) Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


After a day of shock and surprise as Axel Rudakubana admitted to one of the most horrific crimes Merseyside has ever seen, it is the victims and their families who must be remembered.

Six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar are the names and faces who should be remembered by the world.

The three schoolgirls attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, along with 23 other children, on July 29 last year for what should have been the beginning of their summer holidays.

They should have been enjoying six weeks of fun spent with family and friends before the start of a new academic year, but this was all taken away from them by the horrifying actions of the then-17-year-old who arrived at The Hart Space at around 11.45am.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the fatal attack, which claimed the life of the three schoolgirls, eight children were also injured and two adults were stabbed by the ruthless killer who was obsessed with violence. And while 15 other girls who were in attendance were left physically unscathed they have been left with the mental scars of that horrific day.

There is no denying July 29 was a day of unimaginable horror, however there are three little girls, who for their whole lives brought joy and love to so many people.

Bebe King'
Bebe King -Credit:Massam and Marshall Independent Funeral Directors/Facebook

Bebe King was a "sweet, kind and spirited" little girl who was "full of joy, light and love" her heartbroken parents Lauren and Ben said. Alice da Silva Aguiar was a girl with "strong values and kind nature".

"A lover of animals and an environmentalist in the making" said her parents Sergio and Alexandra who told a church of hundreds at her funeral how she was "playful energetic, friendly, and always so respectful."

Alice da Silva Aguiar
Alice da Silva Aguiar -Credit:PA

And Elsie a "chatty and friendly" little girl who "was confident and had such a warmth around her" said her devastated parents Jenni and David Stancombe.

ADVERTISEMENT

These are the girls that a town mourned and continue to mourn to this day. In the days that followed their tragic deaths, people across the town paid tribute to the children involved in the attack, even leading to superstar Taylor Swift taking the time to remember the lives of her young fans.

Elsie Dot Stancombe
Elsie Dot Stancombe -Credit:Handout

Visits from Primer Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and recently King Charles amplified the want, and need, to comfort those who have suffered at the hands of this crime.

Reacting to the news on Monday, Southport MP Patrick Hurley told BBC Radio 5 Live there is “surprise and shock” across the town after Axel Rudakubana, who was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court today, changed his pleas to guilty after having previously denied murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Mr Hurley said: “The community has been healing, the town will obviously never be the same as it has been prior to July. There is surprise and shock at the development this morning but we are all hoping throughout the town that the families get the justice and the outcome they need.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Everybody across the town and the families who are most closely involved and the families of the victims were bracing themselves for the next four weeks. It was never going to be an easy time for anybody here.”

“There is surprise and shock at the development this morning but we are all hoping throughout the town that the families get the justice and the outcome they need. Everybody across the town and the families who are most closely involved and the families of the victims were bracing themselves for the next four weeks. It was never going to be an easy time for anybody here.”

The three girls who lost their lives in the brutal and senseless attack in Southport have left holes that will never be filled for the families and friends they leave behind. The outpouring of emotion from not just those close to Alice, Bebe and Elsie, but the entire town of Southport and the wider world has shown the love and care that people have for those who have been scarred by the events that unfolded.

It is hopefully only a matter of time before a permanent memorial is created within the town, ensuring Alice, Bebe and Elsie, will never be forgotten.