The girls and I were easy prey, says Southport survivor

Dance class leader Leanne Lucas, who was attacked with a knife in Southport, has said she believes the killer “targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey”.

Speaking at Liverpool Crown Court before Axel Rudakubana was sentenced, the 36-year-old read her victim impact statement, and said she had worked with teenagers before and “never thought they would hurt me or young children.” Will hurt.”

He said, “To find out that he was always out to hurt vulnerable people is beyond comprehension.”

He said he “had to be hospitalized three times where I underwent several surgeries and received treatment”.

“At a time when home comforts might have helped, I was left staring at the walls of the hospital, which further affected my mental health.”

She said the trauma was “terrible” and that she was “trying to see the good in the world”.

Ms Lucas said that “there are scars we can’t ignore” and that she struggled with trusting others and herself.

“As a 36-year-old woman I can’t walk down the street without holding my breath as I walk past a person and then look back to see if they attempted to stab me.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot enter a public place without wondering how I will get out in case of an emergency.

“As a 36-year-old woman I can’t pity myself or accept praise, because how can I survive knowing that I survived when children died.”

Ms Lucas said she regarded her work as providing a “safe haven” to help families in Southport by highlighting “goodness and positivity”.

He said, “I never thought this would happen to me and now my mindset has changed that this can and probably will happen to you too.”

“I think I have now lost the ability to accept people as they are.”

She said she felt she had “now lost my role, my purpose and my job because I can no longer give guidance and reassurance to anyone”.

Ms Lucas added: “I feel like I can never be trusted again, I know people will disagree and say that’s not true, however their actions have proven that I never will. “Can’t feel that level of responsibility where others could be in danger.”

She concluded her statement by saying: “To Alice, Elsie, Babe, Heidi and the surviving girls, I live for you.”

Heidi Liddle, who helped Ms. Lucas organize the class, was sitting on the floor helping the girls make bracelets when she heard screaming.

Prosecutors said that after he saw that Ms. Lucas had been stabbed, he tried to pull Ms. Lucas away and began pushing the children outside.

Ms Liddle chased a girl who had run into the toilet, closed the door and put her foot in front of it.

She told the girl to keep quiet but they also heard screams from other children and then the toilet door started rattling.

Police footage shows officers later finding the pair hiding, with one officer telling Ms Liddle: “Listen, listen, listen, you’re safe.”

“Crying with fear and relief, they were carried out of the building,” said prosecutor Deanna Heer.

In her victim statement, Ms Liddle said she was left home “without any professional support” after the attack.

Authorities had taken her mobile phone for evidence and she felt “completely disconnected from everything and felt completely helpless because I had no idea how many children were hurt or whether they were Where are they and can I help them?

“In the beginning, I felt like I had to be there for everyone and I didn’t consider my own feelings and needs,” she said.

She further described how she could not “sit still” or be alone for the first month.

“I felt isolated from everyone because I felt like I couldn’t leave my house. I was crying constantly and didn’t feel safe in my own home.

“In the coming weeks I only left the house to see Leanne and the girls in hospital or attend the funerals of the three girls, which was heartbreaking.”

She said she has since replayed the events in her mind, suffered panic attacks and night terrors and “felt a lot of guilt thinking I could have done more and reacted in a different way”. .

“I thought everyone hated me and no one would ever trust me to take care of their kids again,” he said.

In addition, he also faced false comments made about him online, which he said “damaged my psyche”.

“I thought I would get blame from the public or from parents of children who were blaming me for their child being seriously hurt or killed.”

He said counseling “has helped but I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near the end of this journey”.

Ms Liddle, who has a daughter, said the attack had “a huge impact on my family”, who were providing support.

“I don’t know what my future will be at work. I’m afraid of the pressure of taking care of children.”