'Whole country thinking of Southport families'

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King all lost their lives in the attack

Families affected by the Southport knife attacks will be in the thoughts of the whole country when the man accused of murdering three girls in the town goes on trial, the Home Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper was speaking ahead of the trial of 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.

Mrs Cooper said the trial - due to begin later - would be "a deeply distressing time" for the families of the victims, the survivors, and the people of Southport.

Mr Rudakubana, of Banks in West Lancashire, denies three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, production of the biological toxin ricin, possession of terrorist material, and possession of a knife on the day of the stabbings.

Ms Cooper said Monday's trial would be "a deeply distressing time" for the families of the victims

Cooper said: "This will be a deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport, and the whole country will be thinking of them.

"The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do, so there is a fair trial and justice can be done.

"There will be a time at the end of this trial to discuss what happened and the action needed in response to this horrific tragedy.

"But for now, and until the proceedings have concluded, the priority for all of us must be to ensure justice is done."

The trial is expected to last about four weeks.