Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

The father of child K described how "every conversation" and "every news story" would "drag us back to that moment".

He told the inquiry: "Our little girl is unable to sleep alone. She carries a fear no child should bear.

"She never talks about that day. Outwardly she is a normal little girl, but inside she has scars.

"When she plays with her friends, some of whom lived through that day with her, there is an unspoken understanding of what they endured.

"Personally, I struggle with an overwhelming guilt. I wasn’t there.

"I was too far away when she needed her Daddy the most.

"My partner lives the guilt of leaving the scene."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Child K's father is continuing to read his statement to the inquiry.

He described how as he drove back to Southport, he "tried to listen to the news, desperate for information, but nothing was being reported".

He said the "silence was deafening" and the uncertainty "unbearable".

"Was my little angel alive or dead?", he said.

The inquiry heard 15 minutes later the phone rang again, and he immediately heard "my litle girl's voice".

"I cannot describe the relief", he said.

She told him: “I’m safe Daddy. He didn’t get me, please, please come home."

"Those words, no child should ever say, will haunt me for the rest of my life," he said.

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Child K's father described how his partner was "hysterical" on the end of the phone, her "voice filled with terror".

He said she told him there had been "multiple stabbings" at the dance class, that she could not find their daughter and "didn't know if she was alive or dead".

He told the inquiry: "In that moment, everything inside me broke. I was on the motorway, miles from home, completely powerless.

"My only child, my only flesh, would I ever see her alive again? The line went down, I drove to the next junction and turned my car around."

He described how he began the "longest drive of my life" back to Southport.

"My chest was tight, breathing rapidly, my hands clenched on the steering wheel."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Next, after a short break, the inquiry has been hearing from the father of child K.

He told the inquiry how on the morning of 29 July he kissed his daughter goodbye before heading off on a business trip.

He said: "She was so excited about the dance class she was going to that day, full of life, full of energy.

"I remember telling her she looked lovely as she bounded out of the house with her mum.

"I was so proud and happy for her, I was proud to be her dad."

He said several hours later his phone rang. It was his partner, child K's mother.

"I could never have imagined the horror that was about to unfold at the other end of the telephone call."

Tom Mullen
BBC News

A reminder we have reporters attending the inquiry all day, so do stay with us for all the latest updates.

Evidence is currently continuing from parents of some of the child survivors of the July 2024 knife attack.

Later, we're expecting to hear from children's yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and her friend, dance teacher Heidi Liddle.

Image source, EPA

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

The statement went on to address the inquiry directly.

Ms Ryan-Donnelly said: "We know nothing can take away the pain the families have endured.

"But we hope this process brings answers, answers that help us begin to heal.

"Our daughter has said many times, 'you can’t promise this won’t happen again'. And we can’t. No parent should ever have to say that to their child.

"As parents, we want to know that we did everything we could, to be her voice, to drive change, and to help make children’s classes joyful again and most importantly, without fear.

"Every child deserves to feel safe. We owe it to every child to make sure this never happens again."

That concluded the statement of child P's mother.

Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford told Ms Ryan-Donnolly: "I'm very grateful to you."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Ms Ryan-Donnelly said her parents have struggled with their own mental help and continue to receive therapy.

The statement continued: "Our stomachs churn whenever we hear news reports, or articles on media platforms especially when accompanied by 'that' photo.

"We feel both relief and guilt. We are hypervigilant, constantly scanning for danger. We plan everything meticulously to avoid triggering her."

Child P's grandfather, who dropped her off that day, cannot speak about it and carries "deep guilt", the inquiry heard.

Her mother said: "We have found comfort in others who experienced that awful day, old friends and new. We are now sadly bound by this tragedy.

"Only we truly understand what it is like to walk this road, which remains frightening and uncertain."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Ms Ryan-Donnelly is continuing reading the statement of child P's mother.

She said her daughter's emotions became "overwhelming" and she would have "complete meltdowns".

The statement said child P's family cancelled their Halloween plans because she was "terrified of fake blood and strangers knocking on the door".

At Christmas, her mother said, child P was fearful of Father Christmas entering the house as a "man she didn't know".

Her mother said: "She is always afraid, afraid something terrible will happen.

"If she hears sirens, her fear is so overwhelming that her whole body freezes and you can see the instant fear in her eyes.

"We have had to have conversations no parent should ever have. We’ve talked about the media, the court, police being at our house and the beautiful little girls who lost their lives.

"The innocence of childhood was stolen from every girl there that day and we as parents have been robbed of the simple joys of watching our child grow up free from fear."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Solicitor Nicola Ryan-Donnelly is continuing to read the statement of child P's mother.

She said her partner will "never forget" the look on her daughter's face.

The girl, she said, was covered in blood, had "terror in her eyes" and was "screaming for Mummy".

The statement said: "She kept repeating, 'It has to be fake. It has to be fake'."

"Though she had no physical injuries, the trauma quickly became clear. Her wounds are visible only in her behaviour and the changes we have had to make in our lives," she said.

"That first night, she was petrified he would come for her. She clung to me all night and has not slept alone since.

"She still struggles now to fall asleep. For weeks, she could not be in a room alone, even in our own home.

"She followed us everywhere, even while we did chores or showered."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Ms Ryan-Donnelly is continuing reading the statement of child P's mother.

She described trying to ring the girl's father, who "could not make sense of my words" but left work to rush to the scene.

She said eventually another adult found her daughter.

Our daughter had seen the man walk into the room", Ms Ryan-Donnelly read.

"She saw what he did. Petrified, she ran. She was caught in the stampede on the stairwell and fell, but she knew she had to get up.

"She told us she helped a little girl. 'Much smaller than me, Mummy, I grabbed her hand, and I told her to run'.

"A little girl she did not know.

"A little girl also running for her life. She made it to the nearby house, which kept her and several others safe."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

The hearing is under way and has begun with a statement from the parents of a child referred to as child P.

It was read by their solicitor Nicola Ryan-Donnelly.

The statement says child P was dropped off at the Hart Space building by her grandfather on the morning of the attack.

Ms Ryan-Donnelly said: "She was excited for a fun morning with her friends, and we were looking forward to hearing all about the music, dancing and bracelet-making.

"I, her mum, went to collect her. I arrived at a scene frozen in time.

"My friend whose daughter was also there, was screaming that a man was inside with a knife.

"Children lay injured around us. My daughter, she was nowhere to be found. Everything slowed down.

"It was hard to process what was happening. There were no emergency services yet, just frantic parents, distressed neighbours, and injured children."

Judith Moritz
Reporting from the inquiry

The hearing room, in the grand council chamber at Liverpool Town Hall, is now filling up.

The room is arranged in an amphitheatre formation, with rows of mahogany and leather seating. Part way across the semi-circle of benches, there’s a black canvas screen. It cuts the room into two sections.

On the other side of the screen there’s a private area for the families of children who were involved in the attack. They can see the witness stand and the Inquiry chairman, but are screened off from the banks of lawyers and media who are sitting in the main section of the room.

This is at the request of the families.

Image source, PA Media

They have all been given anonymity, meaning reporters can’t publish their names or any other details which might identify them.

They have also been granted their own area so that they can watch proceedings together in privacy.

Another provision which has been made for them is the slow pacing of the court day, during this process of hearing “impact” statements.

Each statement is full of intense emotion, as parents and survivors describe the horrendous psychological consequences of the attack.

For this reason, there are breaks between each statement, and a maximum of five statements in any one day.

Chairman Sir Adrian Fulford has said it is “critically important that this evidence is staggered”. He’s described it as a “highly unusual part of the proceedings”

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from the Liverpool

The inquiry is also expected to hear from Ms Lucas's assistant, Heidi Liddle.

Ms Liddle sheltered in a locked toilet cubicle outside the studio with one of the children after the attack began.

At the killer's sentencing hearing in January, we heard how Ms Liddle braced her foot against the door and told the girl to "not make a sound".

She described hearing the door rattle, and then the sound of children outside begging the killer to stop.

In a statement read to the court, she described how she now suffers panic attacks and had been unable to work since.

Image source, Unknown

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool

Dance teacher Leanne Lucas is among the witnesses expected to give evidence.

Ms Lucas was the organiser of the Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop on Southport's Hart Street, where the attacks unfolded.

She suffered life-threatening knife injuries and required emergency surgery, as well as further procedures in the following weeks and months.

During the attacker's sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court in January, she described how she was "surviving" for all the victims of the attack.

"He targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey," she said.

"To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible"

Image source, PA Media

The first phase of the public inquiry into the Southport knife attack is due to resume shortly at Liverpool Town Hall with evidence from witnesses.

The inquiry is tasked with examining the background of Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old who is serving a minimum sentence of 52 years for murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024.

We will subsequently refer to him by his initials, AR.

The inquiry will focus on his dealings with all of the relevant agencies, along with any missed opportunities to prevent what happened.

Today, the inquiry is due to hear from the parents of three children who survived the killings, children's yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and her friend, dance teacher Heidi Liddle.