Southport stabbing victim's harrowing five-word message to Axel Rudakubana

Channel 4 viewers were left with tears streaming down their faces after the chilling and poignant victim statement from a survivor of the Southport stabbings was aired in the new documentary titled One Day In Southport.

One Day in Southport delivered a harrowing account of the July 29, 2024, tragedy that unfolded during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at Southport’s Hart Space. Seventeen-year-old Axel Rudakubana stormed the venue, stabbing three girls, Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), and Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), to death and injuring ten others, most of them children.

Rudakubana was arrested immediately and later admitted guilt before he received a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years. The film centres on one teenage survivor’s experience, blending first-hand accounts from victims, witnesses, and locals to explore how the violence, conspiracy, and extremism made an already devastating incident even more so in the aftermath.

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In the days that followed, baseless rumours falsely naming the attacker as a Muslim asylum seeker spread rapidly across social media. Fueled by the misinformation, riots erupted in multiple towns and cities across the UK as immigrants were left fearing for their lives.

Middlesbrough saw one of the worst incidents on August 4, when a planned protest exploded into chaos. Over 1,000 people descended on the area, smashing windows, torching cars, and attacking homes. The documentary resonated deeply with viewers, many describing it online as “devastating,” “urgent,” and “impossible to forget.” When

One particularly heartbreaking scene saw the focus survivor of the attack read aloud her victim statement after she addressed Rudakubana in court after the harrowing stabbings. In an incredibly powerful statement, the 14-year-old survivor wrote: "We think you're a coward."

The brave young girl went said: "Physically I've healed but my scars remain as a reminder of what you did to me, to us all. My sister and I are lucky we got to come home. Your actions mean that Alice, Bebe and Elsie didn't.

"No sane person could do that, it's sickening what you did, going in there knowing you're going into a room full of defenceless children. Give me a reason for what you did. Arming yourself with a weapon and stabbing children. I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you're a coward."

Earlier in the documentary, the teenager broke down in tears after she blamed herself for not being able to save the three little girls - one of whom was her little sister's best friend.

The teenage survivor, only identified by her eyes, told the story from her memory as she detailed how she was stabbed both in the arm and in the back.

"I felt like I was dying," the survivor shared in the heartbreaking admission. She then broke down after confessing that she blames herself for not being able to save the girls - despite having been stabbed herself.

“I regret it every day that I wasn’t able to save her. That I wasn’t able to get her out," she sobbed. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, after watching the chilling stories of the victims unfold, viewers shared their heartbreak. "This poor girl has to live with this trauma for the rest of her life. It's so sad that she blames herself even in the slightest. Absolutely devastating."

"What a brave young lady. Her parents and her sister should be so proud of her. What an incredible victim statement," someone else wrote.

"I am truly sick to my stomach watching this. How did this happen to such innocent little babies? Bawling my eyes out and thinking of their poor families," another viewer shared. Another echoed: "God, this is such a hard watch, but so important too."

Another Channel 4 viewer typed: "Those poor little girls must have been terrified. To think they had their whole lives ahead of them. Such a powerful documentary. Fair play to Channel 4."

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