The mother of a nine-year-old girl stabbed in the Southport attack has paid tribute to her daughter and to the local community, who have supported their family in the wake of the deadly stabbings.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was killed alongside Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class by Axel Rudakubana on 29 July last year.
The 18-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years last month after he admitted the murders of the three girls, as well as attempting to murder 10 others.
In her first interview since the attack, Alice’s mother Alex Aguiar told the Liverpool Echo that she and husband Sergio were “always happy” with their daughter.
She added: “In the weekends we would spend time together, we would go to friends’ houses, go out for meals. We were always happy to be us three, we had everything so what else could we have asked for?”.
The Portuguese-born family said that Southport had now become their home, after moving to the area in 2010.
Explaining how the community had helped them with their grief, she said: "Everyone has been incredible, people who don't know us and we're not from here and we've got so much help.
"People have been very kind, wanting to help us, we didn't expect that. We feel at home and we don't feel like we have to go back."
Paying tribute to her daughter, she recalled how Alice had first taken up ballet when she was 16 months old, and went on to join Southport Dance Academy aged four.
She also took part in cheerleading classes, street dance and participated in the school choir.
Having grown fond of one of her teachers, Heidi Liddle, Alice had been left “fuming” when she went off for maternity leave.
Ms Liddle was one of the two dance teachers present when Rudakubana unleashed his attack, and had sought to protect the students by locking them in a bathroom.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Elsie and Bebe’s parents described their daughters as "pure light" and "so brave".
Elsie’s parents have since established a charity in her name, adding: "We'll never feel true happiness again... ever, but we might just feel a little bit of something if we make another child smile, for Elsie.”
