A man who was stabbed as he rushed to help children being attacked in the Southport stabbing has said he was “saddened” that he could not do more to protect them.
Jonathan Hayes, 63, was stabbed in the leg as he confronted the attacker at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in the Merseyside town on Monday, which left three children dead.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were killed during the stabbing.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were also critically injured.
Mr Hayes, a businessman who works next door to the venue on Hart Street where the attack took place, said he did not see himself as a hero.
He told the BBC from his hospital bed: “Some would say confronting a guy wielding a hunting knife is utter madness.”
Mr Hayes has since undergone major surgery for his wounds and currently cannot walk.
He said he had been “overwhelmed by the number of well wishes I have received”.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hayes' wife Helen said he was "very upset that he wasn’t able to be more help".
"Physically he will be OK, mentally I don’t know,” she said.
Mr Hayes is among hero adults who rushed into danger to protect children from the knife attacker, with police saying among those injured were grown-ups who had attempted to shield them from attack.
Window cleaner Joel Verite, 25, also ran to help those injured, coming face-to-face with the attacker.
He told Sky News: "I look up and there's this guy with a knife. I just wanted to hurt him so bad. But I was scared for myself and I wanted to help people."
He ran inside the building after helping victims when he then saw the attacker, who fled when challenged, while Mr Verite broke a door in a bid to attempt to stop him leaving.
"I opened the door and there's a stairway. I shouted hello to see if anyone was there. I look up and there's this guy with a knife,” he said.
"Maybe he didn't realise I was going to be in there, but we locked eyes and then he scurried off."
In common with Mr Hayes, the former rugby player also declined the label of ‘hero’, telling media: “I'm happy that I've done what I've done, and I'm happy that I've at least managed to save at least one life, if not more."
Mourners gathered on Tuesday evening for a vigil in memory of the three young children killed, as ministers said the nation was united in grief.
Separately hundreds of far-right protesters congregated outside a mosque in scenes of violent disorder which left some officers injured. Three people have been arrested and “more will follow”, Merseyside Police said.
Police said a 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, from the village of Banks in Lancashire, has been arrested in connection with the killings.
The teen, born in Cardiff, remains in police custody.
