Southport attack victims' parents detail how they rushed to scene after warnings

The parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, recalled the events of July 29 and paid tribute to their daughters, who were tragically killed by Axel Rudakubana

Parents of 2 of the small girls murdered astatine a creation people successful Southport person paid an affectional tribute to their “angels”.

Speaking for the archetypal clip astir the tragedy, the parents of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, recalled the events of July 29. Elsie’s mum Jenni, 35, said of her daughter: “Everyone says it, don’t they, that they’re 1 of a kind? But she genuinely was.

“It was an honour to beryllium her mum. Sometimes I deliberation radical are calved peculiar and I genuinely judge she was. Everything she did was axenic enthusiasm. It could beryllium the astir boring happening similar David taking the bins out, and it was like, ‘I’ll come!’ She was grateful for life.”

Elsie’s dada David, 36, added: “On a schoolhouse time you would person to resistance her retired of bed. But connected a Saturday, she was up astatine 6.30am, and it was like, ‘Morning Mummy, greeting Daddy’.” Bebe’s parent – who cannot beryllium named owed to a tribunal bid – said: “I virtually conscionable deliberation they’re angels. Bebe operated connected specified a precocious frequency. She had this innate kindness. She had a spark.

“She was hilarious. She would bash impressions. She would effort anserine accents. Even erstwhile she was a babe she would person maine belly laughing. She would travel retired with the astir random stuff. She would bash it and look astatine you and laughter arsenic if to say, ‘I’m dormant funny, aren’t I?’ She would springiness you this hug and say, ‘I emotion you, Momma’.

“She was the best. Me and her had our ain small language. Sometimes we would conscionable look astatine each different and cognize what each different was thinking.”

The parents told however they saw their girls for the past clip erstwhile they drove them to the Taylor Swift creation people astatine Hart Space workplace wherever they and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were stabbed to death. Describing the infinitesimal she dropped her girl disconnected astatine 10am, Jenni said she watched Elsie tally inside, excited to amusement her person her recently pierced ears.

“I watched her beryllium down and waved her disconnected and I near her,” she said. “I would ne'er ever person enactment her successful danger, ever. I inactive chopped Elsie’s nutrient into tiny bits for the fear. I was astir apt overly obsessed that she was OK.”

Just earlier midday, she got a telephone from different mother, saying: “Something atrocious has happened. Somebody’s stabbed the kids.” Jenni and David sped determination successful their car.

“I near the full location unfastened and got successful the car,” she said. “It’s a five-minute thrust from ours and we indispensable person got determination successful a minute. We kept our hands connected the horn, going faster and faster, jumping each reddish light. We were connected the different broadside of the road, radical throwing their hands up to us.

“I conscionable didn’t care, I conscionable kept whacking the horn. We got determination and conscionable deserted the car successful the mediate of the roadworthy and conscionable ran. And by that constituent constabulary started trying to propulsion radical back.”

Both tried to get wrong the studio. David fought with constabulary officers but they held him back. “The constabulary conscionable lifted David disconnected his feet and said, ‘You’re not getting successful there, mate’,” Jenni said.

David said: “You knew erstwhile you got determination however atrocious it was. No quality being should ever person to witnesser what we witnessed connected that day.” Bebe’s dada dropped her astatine the people portion her mum prepared for a wedding. When helium went to cod her determination were ambulances “all implicit the place”.

“I asked, ‘What’s going on?’ and idiosyncratic said, ‘There’s idiosyncratic determination stabbing kids’. And it inactive didn’t register. I got person and person and determination was nary cordon. I walked down the roadworthy and determination was a location with 10 kids successful it. I didn’t truly get however superior it was. I was conscionable successful shock. All the parents were there. It was madness.”

Bebe’s mum remembered being successful Marks & Spencer erstwhile helium rang. “I was astir to enactment my paper successful the instrumentality and helium called: ‘I can’t judge I’m telling you this but idiosyncratic has gone into the creation people with a knife’, and I conscionable ran.”

The families told of however the calamity has impacted their different children, including Elsie’s younger sibling. David said: “You cognize you accidental to your kids each day, each night, ‘I won’t fto thing hap to you’?

“How could I accidental that now?” The families were comforted by a sojourn by the Prince and Princess of Wales – Kate’s archetypal nationalist outing since finishing chemo. David said: “That meant truthful overmuch to Jenni. Because it was her archetypal nationalist appearance.

“I won’t accidental what they said to america but what they shared with america was really, truly powerful, and it was a almighty connection and heartfelt and it meant a lot.” Bebe’s mum added: “They were precise human.” They besides met King Charles, with David smiling astir the infinitesimal Elsie’s sister offered the King a biscuit.

The families spoke retired aft their girls’ slayer was jailed for a minimum of 52 years past month. They garbage to sanction him, referring to him arsenic “he”, “him” oregon “the offender”. The 18-year-old murderer besides attacked 8 different children, people teacher Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes who were each earnestly wounded. The parents of nine-year-old Alice did not instrumentality portion successful the interrogation with the Sunday Times.