A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder and attempted murder after 13 people, including 11 children, were stabbed at a dance class in Southport – while violence has flared in Manchester following on from rioting elsewhere sparked by disinformation about the suspect.
In Manchester on Wednesday, demonstrators gathered outside the Holiday Inn hotel on Oldham Road at about 6pm, the Manchester Evening News reported. About 40 people including children and men wearing balaclavas were reportedly involved in what the paper said “appeared to be a stand against asylum seekers currently being housed in the hotel”.
Hours beforehand, Merseyside police said they had charged the Southport suspect, who is from the village of Banks, Lancashire, with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of an offensive weapon. He was due to appear at Liverpool city magistrates court on Thursday morning.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed, while five children remain in critical condition after they were attacked while taking part in a dance and yoga class on Monday morning. Two adults, who were injured trying to protect the children, were also in a critical condition.
The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on Monday. Earlier on Wednesday, detectives were granted more time to question the teenager. The only details released about the suspect were his age, that he is from the village of Banks, about five miles from where the stabbings took place, and was born in Cardiff.
Serena Kennedy, chief constable of Merseyside police, said: “A 17-year-old boy from Banks has been charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article following the tragic incident in Southport on Monday 29 July. The 17-year-old cannot be named for legal reasons as he’s under 18.
“Whilst these charges are a significant milestone within this investigation, this remains very much a live investigation and we continue to work with our partners from Lancashire police and counter-terrorism police in the north-west.
“I would like to thank all the forces who have offered and supplied support to Merseyside police during the last three days and I can confirm that we are being supported with investigative resources from across the north-west.”
Sarah Hammond, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. Our thoughts remain with the families of all of those affected by these harrowing events.”
Manchester on Wednesday night became host to the latest in a series of flare-ups egged on by far-right agitators spreading lies online. Two men were arrested after the group outside the Holiday Inn threw bottles, bricks and at officers who were in riot gear, the Manchester Evening News reported. A bus driver also appeared to have been assaulted by a group of young men who jumped in front of his doubledecker on Grimshaw Lane, the news outlet said.
This is the moment riot cops clashed with protestors in Newton Heath tonight. Officers have been pelted with rocks, bricks and bottles. @MENnewsdesk pic.twitter.com/gjCSoqdlTM
— James Holt - M.E.N (@jameshjourno) July 31, 2024
The Newton Heath, Clayton and Openshaw division of Greater Manchester police said: “Due to the early intervention from our officers this criminal behaviour thankfully didn’t cause any serious injury or damage. Two men aged 18 and 25 were later arrested for violent disorder and assault of an emergency worker and remain in custody at this time for questioning.
“Enquiries into a further related report of an assault of a bus driver [are] ongoing at this stage.”
Local councillor John Flanagan condemned the “sickening” incident and the “mindless thugs attacking innocent men who are asylum seekers … They have been there for months and we have not had any issues or problems. They have been in a place of safety.”
Earlier on Wednesday, crowds of protesters marched on Downing Street in London. In Whitehall, demonstrators threw flares and cans while chanting “Rule Britannia”, “save our kids” and “stop the boats”, while police were seen wrestling a man off the road and on to the pavement next to the Cenotaph, near Downing Street. Others attempted to kick down a fence and were confronted by riot police while some threw flares on to the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
Police said more than 100 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder and assault of an emergency worker while several police officers suffered minor injuries.
There was also a protest in Hartlepool, County Durham, which resulted in eight people being arrested after police officers had missiles, glass bottles and eggs thrown at them. Late in the night a police vehicle was set alight in the town centre. Several officers suffered minor injuries responding to the disorder, Cleveland police said. In a later statement after the protesters had been dispersed they said a full criminal investigation was under way and that “we expect further arrests to be made in the coming days”.
Jonathan Brash, the Labour MP for the town, said he was “deeply concerned” about the situation and would be meeting with police to discuss their response to the incident.
Brash wrote on X: “These events do not represent what Hartlepool is or the values that our people hold. Violence is never the answer.”
In Aldershot, local MP Alex Baker condemned the violence in her community, stating that there was “no justification for disorderly behaviour and the scenes do not represent Aldershot and Farnborough”.
“I have been liaising with Hampshire police this evening regarding a significant incident at Potter’s International Hotel in Aldershot, where a peaceful protest descended into intimidating behaviour,” she said.
More than 50 police officers were injured in far-right riots in Southport on Tuesday night, which broke out as the town reeled from the knife attack. Five people were arrested over the disturbances, police said.
The mother of Elsie, one of the children who was killed, intervened. “This is the only thing that I will write, but please, please stop the violence in Southport tonight,” Jenni Stancombe said. “The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don’t need this.”
Alex Goss, assistant chief constable for Merseyside police, said: “Our work to identify all those responsible for the despicable violence and aggression seen on the streets of Southport on Tuesday continues.
“We have been inundated with images and footage from members of the public who were outraged at the destruction carried out. The individuals involved in the disorder had no regard for the families and friends of those who so tragically lost their lives, and a community in grief.
“It has been heartening today to see the reaction of the whole community, who have pulled together to clean the streets, rebuild walls and reglaze broken windows.”
PA Media contributed to this report
