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The family of one of the girls murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport have opened up about their final goodbye with their daughter when they read her a bedtime story.
Paying tribute to their “light and joy” Bebe King, her parents also said that “whatever she did she was going to move mountains”, while the parents of seven-year-old Elsie Dot described their daughter as “born special”, “fearless”, and of such a “pure” nature that she “didn’t know bad”.
Bebe’s parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave their first television interview since they lost their six-year-old in the horror mass knife attack last summer. They were in tears as they spoke of their last moments with their daughter at Alder Hey’s Children’s Hospital, doing her bedtime routine including reading her favourite book, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Bebe’s mother told Good Morning Britain: “She was in her pyjamas, we read to her and the family visited her. The final day we lay next to her and we did our final goodbye.”
The parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, told the programme they were not ready to speak after their daughter became the third child to die in the attack at the Hart Space on 29 July, although they said they supported the other parents.
The families are calling for answers to the many questions that were raised after what happened to their girls, in the hopes that these will bring change, accountability, and improved protections for other children.
They also welcomed the government’s announcement of a public inquiry last month after 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years for murdering the three girls and attempting to murder 10 others, including eight children.
Speaking of their “strong and kind” daughter, Bebe’s parents told GMB: “I really hope that this wasn’t all for nothing, that in spirit she can still have an impact on the world, in the future protecting children.
“Since day one, we said we have to live for her, we have to live how she would’ve wanted us to live and make the most of our life. It’s important that we choose to push forward with life and live – for her…
“I want her to be this light and joy and not let whatever happened define her.”
They said the sentencing should not have been broadcast as there was too much detail on the girls’ injuries and this is not how they want them to be remembered.
Jenni and David Stancombe, parents of seven-year-old Elsie Dot, described the “guilt” they have endured after dropping their daughter off at that dance class.
They said: “We just dropped her off to dance and make bracelets, it was something nice for her to do in the summer holidays… We should never have sent her but she wanted to go so much.”
Ms Stancombe broke down in tears as she told GMB she would have fought to the death for Elsie if she had been at the Hart Space. “I might not be here, but I’d never have let that happen,” she added.
Bebe’s mother described her daughter as “my best friend”. She said: “We almost had a hidden language we’d just look at each other and know what the other thinks.”
The pair spoke of Bebe’s love for singing and dancing as well as for Taylor Swift, especially the artist’s song Love Story, which she used to sing “full belt in the car” and dance along to in front of the mirror.
Both families revealed they met with Swift at Wembley Stadium in the weeks after the attack, with Bebe’s parents describing the singer as “very lovely” and offering “light in the dark”.
Elsie’s parents called their daughter a “devoted Swiftie” who idolised the singer and said: “If Elsie knew that Taylor knew her, it would be like all her dreams had come true.”
They said the seven-year-old was creative, with a “natural flair for design” and dreams of becoming a fashion designer when she grew up. Elsie, who also had a passion for cheerleading, used to tell them: “I want to be a fashion designer in the day and a cheer coach at night.”
Ms Stancombe said Elsie’s death “can’t be in vain” and that “we won’t let evil win”, with the couple hoping changes will be made through the public inquiry or the charity they have set up in their daughter’s memory, Elsie’s Story.
“If somebody’s made a decision that’s resulted in an element of failure then there needs to be accountability for that and I believe the announcement of the inquiry will do that and it will hold people to account for some of the decisions they’ve made,” she said.
After Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the attack at the beginning of his trial last month, it was revealed he had been referred to the government’s Prevent scheme on three occasions but the cases were closed.
Mr Stancombe said: “No one else should ever go through something like this. If it was that obvious that he’d been flagged up so many times like, what?”
“The only thing we wanted from the state is to protect us,” Ms Stancombe added.
Bebe’s mother told the programme: “Our girls just need to be safe, our children need to be safer and protected. As parents, it is just really important for us to be able to remove Bebe from the past couple of weeks.
“She was a human being. She was a beautiful, funny, crazy, gorgeous girl and her legacy, [and] can’t be defined by what’s happened. I feel like a lioness and I have got to protect my child and I have got to make sure that people know that she isn’t defined by this.”
Source: independent.co.uk
