Last photo of Southport victim, 9, at Taylor Swift event – as hundreds line streets for funeral
The parents of the nine-year-old girl killed in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop have released an image of her at the event on the day of the attack.
The image shows Alice da Silva Aguiar next to a cardboard cutout of Swift at the Hart Space community centre in Southport on the morning of Monday 29 July.
She was one of three girls who died after several children were injured in the attack.
Alice’s parents Sergio and Alexandra, originally from Madeira in Portugal, have released the photo as hundreds gathered for the girl’s funeral at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Southport today.
Members of the public lined a street in the Merseyside town to honour Alice as the funeral procession arrived.
They were joined by around 30 uniformed police officers and Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
‘We loved cuddling you every night’
In a statement read out on their behalf at the service, Alice’s parents said: “You were our perfect dreamchild, everything was perfect from the moment you arrived. A good girl, with strong values and a kind nature, a lover of animals and an environmentalist in the making.
“You moved our world with your confidence and empathy. Playful, energetic, friendly and always so respectful… no shouting is a house rule you applied, a big task for a small girl, especially in a Portuguese household.
“Being around you was a privilege, we cherished every milestone, you completed us… we loved cuddling you every night for almost nine years, apart from sleepovers and nights away with your friends, we were never apart.”
The grieving parents added that their daughter was committed to her dancing and her schoolwork, and continued: “Your to-do list was extensive and we were sure that you would achieve it, if only you had the time.
“It hurts, we will never see you grow up.”
Sergio and Alexandra also said they have been asking themselves whether they could have done anything to prevent her death, adding: “We will never get over this pain.”
The parents released the last photo and statement along with other images of their daughter from throughout her short life.
Some show her as a much younger girl at ballet classes while another shows her outside school.
‘Go dancing now Alice’
Earlier in the service, Jinnie Payne, headteacher of Churchtown Primary School, told how Alice was a lively pupil who enjoyed playing her ukelele with the choir.
She added that Alice would often have two bowls of porridge at breakfast club but “refused to be referred to as Goldilocks”, adding that the girl would reply: “It’s Alice in Wonderland if you don’t mind!”
Ms Payne became emotional as she said at the end of her tribute: “We are letting you go dancing now Alice, teach those angels a few dance moves. Keep daydreaming Alice, it’s a magical place to be, in your own thoughts.
“Make magic every day… and we will feel the power of your magic ability. Let your beaming smile guide you Alice and shine brightly on us all.
“Alice, you will forever be in our Church Town hearts”.
Rioters should ‘hang their heads in shame’
The Southport stabbing attack was followed by days of far-right riots up and down the UK after misinformation online said the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat. It later emerged the suspect was born in Wales.
Chief Constable Kennedy said to the parents in a reading she gave at the service: “You have shown great courage in asking me to be here today, to speak, to give a message from you, Alice’s family, to say you do not want there to be any violence on the streets of the United Kingdom in the name of your daughter.
“I am ashamed and so sorry that you even had to consider this in the planning of the funeral of your beautiful daughter Alice. I hope that anyone who has taken part in the violent disorder on our streets over the past 13 days is hanging their head in shame at the pain they have caused you, a grieving family.”
Labour’s Southport MP Patrick Hurley said at the service: “There are no adequate words to express the town’s shock and distress at the atrocity which befell Alice and the other little girls two weeks ago.”
Meanwhile, Sara Madruga da Costa, a Portuguese politician who represents the island of Madeira, spoke at the funeral and thanked the efforts of the UK authorities in response to the tragedy.
Hundreds listen to funeral outside church
Applause had broken out from the crowd as the carriage containing Alice’s white coffin approached the entrance of the church before the service.
The carriage was drawn by two white horses sporting orange and white plumes.
Alice’s parents were joined by family and friends for the service, while several hundred people listened outside as it was relayed on loudspeakers.
Pink ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls in the town.
Alice died along with six-year-old Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, in the attack.
On Saturday, Bebe’s parents Lauren and Ben described their daughter as “full of joy, light, and love”.
“She will always remain in our hearts as the sweet, kind, and spirited girl we adore,” the couple said.
They also revealed Bebe’s nine-year-old sister Genie witnessed the attack and managed to escape.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said 779 people have been arrested over rioting, of whom 349 have been charged.