Southport inquiry: Timeline of events leading to murder of three little girls

Southport inquiry: Timeline of events leading to murder of three little girls Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in July 2024NewsPhil Cardy Senior Reporter09:00, 13 Apr 2026Southport Inquiry: Attacker's name not to be used during hearingThe Southport inquiry has vowed to identify the “robust steps” needed to protect people from “horrors” as it investigates the murders of three young girls.‌Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in July 2024, by crazed teen Axel Rudakubana.‌The inquiry has heard three separate referrals were made to the Government’s counter-terror programme Prevent about the attacker's behaviour in the years before the attack, as well as numerous calls to police.‌Phase one of the inquiry, which will focus on issues around policing, the criminal justice system and the multiple agencies involved before the attack, is due to be published on Monday.Rudakubana’s parents emigrated from Rwanda and he was born in Cardiff, moving to Southport with his family as a young child in 2013. In 2017, aged 11, he started at The Range High School, Formby.3View 3 ImagesBebe King(Image: PA)3View 3 ImagesAlice da Silva Aguiar(Image: PA)‌View 3 ImagesElsie Dot Stancombe(Image: PA)Below is a timeline of some of the key features the inquiry looked at:October 2019 : Rudakubana contacted Childline and asked: “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” Later that month he was enrolled at The Acorns School pupil referral unit in Ormskirk. During admission meeting he admitted taking a knife to his previous school, “to use it”‌November 2019 : First Prevent referral for researching school shootings during an IT class. Permanently excluded when he admitted taking a knife to school on about 10 occasions.December 2019 : Returned to the Range school by taxi and attacked a pupil with a hockey stick....