Mourners gathered in Southport to pay heartbreaking tribute to a young girl killed by a knifeman during a Taylor Swift dance class last week. Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, was one of three girls who died following the horror stabbing that rocked the Merseyside town on July 29. Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were also killed after the perpetrator walked into a dance studio on Hart Street and launched a "ferocious" attack.
Police arrested 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana following the stabbings, and he has since been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. He will appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25 ahead of a provisional trial date of January 20, 2025. While the days following the girls' deaths have been dominated by sustained violence from far-right agitators taking advantage of the devastating events, Southport locals were able to peacefully remember young Alice in a heartbreaking vigil on Tuesday.
Family and friends read tributes in a well-attended afternoon memorial service at St Patrick’s Church. The service, led by Father John Heneghan, featured hymns and speeches read in English and Portuguese, with the youngster's bereaved parents, Sérgio and Alexandra, walking into the service clutching a toy and a pair of their daughter's ballet shoes. One speaker, who spoke on behalf of Alice’s family, fought back tears as she remembered the "most beautiful, strongest girl".
She said: “Alice, you are the most beautiful, strongest girl.